Festuca ancachsana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 70–80 cm long; 1–1.5 mm diam.; 1 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane; 1.5–3 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 20–30 cm long; 1.3–1.7 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 11–13 vascular bundles; with 9–11 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 13–17 cm long. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 0 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet. Lower glume chartaceous.

FLORETS Fertile lemma chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Apical sterile florets barren; lanceolate; 5.7–6.2 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas scabrous (above); dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 0.5–0.8 mm long.

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vegetative proliferation occurs.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 1997.

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