Festuca actae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 25–60 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 5–10 cm long; ribbed; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.4–0.7 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.4–0.7 mm long. Collar dark; pubescent. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section, or elliptic in section; 20–60 cm long; 0.4–0.7 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 7–11 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex antrorsely scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 10–30 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; 5–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2 -nate; 4–5 cm long; bearing 2–6 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle axis 7–9 noded; smooth, or scaberulous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–7(–12) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 10–17 mm long; 6 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1–1.5 mm long; pubescent. Floret callus 0.2–0.5 mm long; pilose; disarticulating transversely.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–4.5 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 4.5–7.5 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3(–5) -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–9 mm long; membranous; glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 0.1–2.5 mm long overall. Palea 6–8 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned all along. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on back and on margins; hairy above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.75–1.5 mm long; membranous; entire, or 2-toothed. Anthers 3; 3.5–4.4 mm long; yellow. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3–4.75 mm long; hairy at apex. Embryo 0.25–0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.6 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: New Zealand.

NOTES Poeae. Connor 1997.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.