Melica rigida Cavanilles

Echeverría, María L., Alonso, Sara I. & Comparatore, Viviana M., 2017, Survey of the vascular plants of Sierra Chica, the untouched area of the Paititi Natural Reserve (southeastern Tandilia mountain range, Buenos Aires province, Argentina), Check List 13 (6), pp. 1003-1036 : 1019

Melica rigida Cavanilles

Figure 16

Melica rigida Cavanilles (1799) : 47 — Zuloaga et al. (2012b): 94; Flora Argentina (2017); Tropicos (2017).

Melica aurantiaca Desr. ex Lam. var. rigida (Cav.) Papp (1928) : 352 ― Zuloaga et al. (2012b): 94.

Melica brasiliana auct. non Arduino (1764): 17.

Melica papilionacea auct. non. L. (1767): 31.

Cryptophyte, native with distribution in the Southern Cone Region of South America.

Characteristics. Perennial, caespitose species, 20–80 cm tall, with short rhizomes and erect culms. Young leaves are folded to rolled. Leaves parallel-veined, green, glabrous to hispid, to 9 cm long. Inflorescence: a linear, loose panicle, white with purplish tinge, compressed, multiflorous spikelets, to 11 mm long; glumes unequal;

lemma papery with retrorse hairs; palea with glabrous lower surface. Fruit: an elliptic caryopsis.

Comments. This is a frequent species in the study area. It grows in shallow to moderately deep soils and in rock cracks on the summits and on rocky or grassy slopes. It is similar to M. brasiliana Ard. However , the latter species presents 11–17 mm long spikelets, which are longer than in M. rigida (Torres 1980, Zuloaga 2012b).