RLEM 610 grass taxonomy oryza

ORYZA L. Rice Plants hermaphroditic, caespitose or rhizomatous, annual (ours) or perennial. Culms erect or ascending, glabrous; internodes hollow, terete. Leaves basal and cauline, not distinctly distichous; sheaths terete, margins open; auricles present with stiff hairs; blades flat, linear, stiff, apex acuminate. Panicles open; primary branches spreading (nodding with maturity), spikelets appressed; Spikelets solitary, laterally compressed, disarticulation at the spikelet base, awnless, pedicellate; florets 3, reduced florets (2) below the perfect floret; glumes absent (0) or reduced to a cupule; reduced florets represented by 2 vestigal lemmas; uppermost lemmas 3-9-veined, chartaceous to indurate, callus glabrous, apex apiculate, awnless; paleas 2-viened, awnless, glabrous. Stamens 6; anthers yellow. Caryopses adnate to lemma and/or palea, laterally compressed. Base chromosome number x=6. A tropical genus of about 25 species. Many of these taxa are wetland species.