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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 amblyodes
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths, or fibrous dead sheaths. Culms 5–15 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.9 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 5–6 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 3–8 fertile spikelets.
Panicle open; lanceolate; 2–8 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches spreading; bearing 1(–2) fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle axis scaberulous. Panicle branches scaberulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–3 mm long; 0.66–0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; purple; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 4 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; purple; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins obscure. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5–6 mm long; chartaceous; purple; keeled; lightly keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex obtuse; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long. Ovary with a few apical hairs.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia and China.
NOTES Poeae. Fl USSR 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
