New! - Search other data sources for Festuca altissima

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca altissima

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Cataphylls evident. Culms erect; 50–120 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Leaf-sheaths without keel; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–5 mm long. Leaf-blades 20–60 cm long; 4–14 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; nodding; 10–18 cm long; 8–12 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2 -nate. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1.5–15 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 5–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4–6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; rounded except near apex; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; puberulous. Lemma apex acute; muticous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; oblong; membranous; 2-toothed. Anthers 3; 2.5–3 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Hilum linear; 0.7–0.8 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, and western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. CEH.

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