Melica picta

Melica picta is a species of grass in the family Poaceae that can be found in Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia.

Description
The species is cespitose and perennial with the culms being 40 - 80 cm long. Leaf-sheaths are closed, tubular and scabrous with eciliate membrane being 1 – long. The leaf-blades are pilose and rough. They are also hairy and have scabrous margins and surface with acuminate apex. The length of a leaf-blade is 8 - 16 cm long and 2 - 5 mm wide. Their panicle is linear, open, secund and is 6 – in length. They can either be 6 - 10 mm long or 7 - 8 mm. Branches have fertile spikelets which are pediceled and are solitary as well.

Spikelets are 8 - 10 mm in length and are oblong. They also have fertile florets which are diminished at the apex. Both lower and upper glumes are elliptic, are 7 mm long, and either gray or red in colour. Both are also keelless and 5-veined with obtuse apex. Lemma is chartaceous, elliptic, and is 3 - 3.5 mm long. It is also shiny and keelless but have 3 veines. The lemmas apex is obtuse just like glumes, with palea being 2-veined, lanceolated, and 5 - 5.5 mm in length. Flowers are fleshy, oblong, truncate and grow side by side, with 3 anthers. Fruits are caryopsis, have adherent pericarp and are 2 mm long.

Ecology
Melica picta is rare in hardwood and fir forests and is also uncommon on clay and loamy soils. Flowers bloom from May to June.