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Descriptions

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

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

Festuca altopyrenaica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 13–27 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5 of their length closed. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 5–10 cm long; 0.7–0.9 mm wide; stiff; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 1–3 inner ridges; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 8–23 fertile spikelets. Peduncle smooth, or scaberulous above.

Panicle contracted; linear; 3–4.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1.4–2.4 cm long. Panicle axis scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1.1–2 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5.3–6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4–6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.2–1.6 mm long overall. Palea lanceolate; 3.8–4.2 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern.

NOTES Poeae. Fuente 2001.

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