Zea diploperennis

H.H. litis, Doebley & R. Guzman
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 699.

Plants perennial; rhizomatous, rhizomes to 15 cm, internodes 0.2-0.6 cm, often forming scaly, tuberous short-shoots 1-2 cm thick. Culms 1-3.5 m tall, (1) 2-3 cm thick, solitary or in large clumps. Blades usually to 40 cm long, 4-5.5 cm wide, linear-lanceolate. Pistillate peduncles (1) 2-4 (5) per node, 5-25 (52) cm, the 3-5 longer peduncles extending far beyond the subtending leaf-sheaths, each peduncle with 1 (2) pistillate rames; pistillate rames 5-10 cm long, 4-5 mm thick, distichous, with 5-10 solitary spikelets, frequently not enclosed in a leaf-sheath; fruitcases trapezoidal in side view, 6-9 mm on the long side, 2.5-4.5 mm on the short side, 4-5 mm in diameter. Caryopses concealed by the lower glumes. Terminal staminate panicles 6-18 cm, with 2-15 branches; branches 6-15 cm, erect to divergent, internodes 2-6 mm; spikelets 8.5-11.5 mm long, about 3 mm wide, densely imbricate; lower glumes flat dorsally, stiff, not translucent, margins tightly enclosing the upper glumes, the 2 principal sublateral veins prominently keeled and apically winged. 2n = 20.

Discussion

Zea diploperennis, although locally abundant, is rare in the wild, being known only from a few populations in the Sierra de Manantlan, Jalisco, Mexico. It grows at elevations of 1400-2400 m, sometimes forming large clones or extensive colonies in old maize fields and on the edges of oak-pine cloud forests. It is grown for genetic research and plant breeding in many countries and occasionally as an ornamental plant in warmer parts of the contiguous United States. It hybridizes infrequently with Z. mays subsp. mays in its native range.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number."thin" is not a number.

... more about "Zea diploperennis"
anatomy +  and kranz +
Hugh H. litis +
H.H. litis, Doebley & R. Guzman +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
disarticulating +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
divergent +  and parallel +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
non-radiate +  and radiate +
well-developed +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
linear-lanceolate +
reduced +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
spikelike +
reduced +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
subspherical +  and dorsally compressed +
always much thicker +
branching +  and monopodial +
in large clumps +  and solitary +
purple +  and reddish +
100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br /> (350 cm3,500 mm <br />3.5 m <br />) +
ascending +  and erect +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (600 cm6,000 mm <br />6 m <br />) +
woody +  and succulent +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Ga. +, Va. +, Conn. +, R.I. +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Oreg. +, Wash. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Colo. +, Iowa +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Mass. +, Md. +, Maine +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Miss. +, Mont. +, N.C. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, Puerto Rico +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Utah +, Virgin Islands +, Vt. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +, Wyo. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Fla. +, Nebr. +, Ariz. +  and Nev. +
capillary +
sometimes longer +
concealing +
2 +  and 1 +
compressed +  and terete +
5-14(28)-veined +
stiff +  and flexible +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
unequal +
membranous +  and chartaceous +
uncinate +
pistillate +, branching +  and staminate +
distichous +  and paniculate +
pedunculate +  and multiple-stalked +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
solid +  and hollow +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
not disarticulating +
distichous +  and more or less polystichous +
photosynthetic +
not aromatic +
coriaceous +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
complex +  and simple +
concealed +  and prominent +
sessile-pedicellate +  and subsessile +
fused +  and free +
52 cm520 mm <br />0.52 m <br /> (?) +
trapezoidal +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (?) +
dry +  and fleshy +
elongate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
8 +  and 24 +
bladeless +  and open +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
polystichous +
staminate +, sessile +, pistillate +, disarticulating +  and pedicellate +
imbricate +  and distichous +
0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br /> (1.15 cm11.5 mm <br />0.0115 m <br />) +
5 +  and 10 +
sterile +  and bisexual +
usually smaller +  and reduced +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
fused +  and free +
filamentous +
dome--shaped +  and triangular +
Gramineae +
Zea diploperennis +
species +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
membranous +
sessile-pedicellate +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +