Festuca alaica

HABIT Perennial; mat forming; clumped densely. Culms geniculately ascending; 15–35 cm long; 3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes black. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; smooth; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; elliptic in section; 5–10 cm long; 0.5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 5 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 6–10 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; oblong; 3–5 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8–8.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.5–2 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough at apex. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 1–1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with membranous margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough at apex. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2–4 mm long; chartaceous; light green, or light green and purple; suffused with last colour; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma margins scabrous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–1.5 mm long overall. Palea lanceolate; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Drobov 1996.

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