Festuca beamanii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 20–45 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.33 of their length closed; smooth. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 0.7–0.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 5 inner ridges; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or oblong; 8–9 cm long. Panicle branches flat; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 7–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–5.2 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–2.2 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; with 0.33 of their length adorned. Apical sterile florets distinct from fertile; with internodes 3–3.2 mm long between them.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 2001.

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