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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 argentinensis
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 20–50 cm long; 1 -noded; with 0.5 of their length below uppermost node. Culm-internodes terete; glaucous; smooth; distally glabrous. Leaves distichous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades erect; filiform; conduplicate; 0.8–1 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 11 vascular bundles; with 9 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.
Panicle contracted; oblong; 3–10 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches 1–2 -nate. Panicle axis smooth, or scaberulous. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 8–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1.5 mm long; scaberulous.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–4.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.5–6.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3–3.5 mm long; purple. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and southern South America.
NOTES Poeae. Turpe 1997.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
