Melica violacea

Melica violacea, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae endemic to Chile.

Description
The species is perennial and caespitose with thick butt sheaths which are forming a bulb. Its culms are 20 – long and 1 - 4 mm in diameter. The species leaf-sheaths are tubular and pilose with one of their length being closed. Its eciliate membrane is 2 – long while its leaf-blades are 2.5 – long and 1.8 - 3 mm wide with pilose surface.

The panicle itself is contracted, linear, secund, is 5 – long and bears a small amount of spikelets. Spikelets themselves are solitary, elliptic, and are 8 – long. The species fertile spikelets are pediceled, the pedicels of which are ciliate, curved, hairy and filiform. Florets are diminished at the apex and have a pubescent callus.

Its lemma have a dentate apex while its surface is scaberulous. Fertile lemma is 4.5 – long and 2 – wide. Both the lower and upper glumes are keelless, obovate and purple in colour, but have different size, apexes and surfaces. The lower glume is 8 – long with asperulous surface and erosed apex, while the upper glume is 5 – long and have a puberulous surface, and erosed as well as obtuse apex. Palea itself is lanceolate, have ciliolated keels, with scabrous surface and is 2-veined. Flowers are fleshy, lodicule, oblong, truncate, and are 0.1 – long while its anthers are 1 - 2 mm long. It fruits are caryopsis and have an additional pericarp.