Connorochloa: a new genus in Triticeae

Abstract

We describe a new genus in the Triticeae, Connorochloa Barkworth, S.W.L. Jacobs, & H.Q. Zhang, which currently contains only one species, Connorochloa tenuis (Buchanan) Barkworth, S.W.L. Jacobs, & H.Q. Zhang. Connorochloa differs from all other members of the Triticeae in having a peduncle that elongates greatly after anthesis, causing the culms to become prostrate at maturity, and in combining the H, W, St, and Y genomes. Morphologically, it most closely resembles species of Anthosachne, which are hexaploids having the St, Y, and W genomes, but differs from all of them in the peduncle character and having longer awns on the upper glumes and from most species in its combination of narrow leaf blades and long, straight awns.