Festuca arundinacea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped moderately. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes absent, or short; fleshy; not obviously scaly. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms robust; straight, or curved; 45–180 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves basal and cauline; 3–5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long; membranous, or scarious; white; erose. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or flexuous; linear in section; 10–60 cm long; 3–12 mm wide; firm; mid-green. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation distinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle straight, or flexuous; terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; continuous; dense, or loose; straight; 10–50 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 2 -nate; moderately divided; bearing 3–8 fertile spikelets on each lower branch (on shorter branch); bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight, or arcuate; angular; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 3–8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–8(–10) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 9–12(–15) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.3–5.5 mm long; 0.6 length of upper glume; herbaceous, or scarious; mid-green; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; 4.5–7 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; mid-green; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; symmetrical; 6–9 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0–4 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3–4 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear; 0.5 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: north-central. North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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