Festuca alatavica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short. Culms erect; 30–85 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5–0.66 of their length closed. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.75 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 10–25 cm long; 1.5–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 7–16 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches spreading; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches capillary; flexuous; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 10–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 6.5–8 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; purple; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.3–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.5–4 mm long. Ovary with a few apical hairs.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

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

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pak 1993.

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