Aegilops

van Slageren, M.W. 1994: Wild wheats: a monograph of Aegilops L. and Amblyopyrum (Jaub. & Spach) Eig (Poaceae). – Wageningen Agric. Univ. Papers 94(7)
but modified
1Spike breaking up into units of a spikelet with the rachis segment of the next higher spikelet remaining attached; spike distinctly moniliform
1'Spike breaking up into units of a spikelet with its supporting rachis segment remaining attached or whole spike falls as one unit; spike narrowly cylindrical, cylindrical, or narrowly ovoid
2Spike breaking up into units of a spikelet with its supporting rachis segment remaining attached, narrowly cylindrical, but distichous and somewhat dorso-ventrally flattened
2'Whole spike falls as one unit, narrowly cylindrical, cylindrical or narrowly ovoid, but not distichous nor flattenend
3Spike narrowly cylindrical, (10-)30-65 times as long as wide
3'Spike (sub)cylindrical or narrowly ovoid, widest in the basal part, then narrowing into a more slender, cylindrical upper part, 10-20 times as long as wide
4Spike 1.5-4(-5) cm long; apex of apical glumes with 3 awns
4'Spike (3-)5-12(-20) cm long; apex of apical glumes with 1 awn and 1-2 lateral teeth at the base
5Glumes with veins equal in width, more or less parallel, protruding from the surface, equally spaced
5'Glumes with veins unequal in width, sunk into the glume surface, unequally spaced
6Spike slender with a regular appearance, caused by the awns of all glumes and lemmas being more or less equally long; both glumes of the lowest fertile spikelet always with 3 awns
6'Spike stout with an irregular appearance, caused by wide variation in glume and lemma awn development; glumes of lowest fertile spikelets with 2-3 awns or teeth
7Rudimentary spikelets (2-)3
7'Rudimentary spikelets 1 (rarely 2)
8Spike with 2(-3) spikelets, all fertile; spikelets not constricted above; glume apex with 2-3 awns
8'Spike with (2-)3-4 spikelets, the upper one sterile; the lowest spikelets constricted above; glume apex with (2-)4-5 awns