Festuca arenicola

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pallid, or light brown; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 21–36 cm long. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.4–0.7 mm wide; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7–11 vascular bundles; with 5–7 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer, or with unevenly thickened subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; 3–12 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3.1–3.6 mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.5–4.6 mm long; chartaceous; light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.1–0.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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