Festuca boyacensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous, or evident. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 30–60 cm long; 1–2 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.3–0.6 mm long; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; involute; angular in section; 15–20 cm long; 0.4–0.7 mm wide; coriaceous; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands unequal in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation, or with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; aerial; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 6–15 cm long; 0.5–1 cm wide; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets; contracted about primary branches. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8.5–9.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes smooth; glabrous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–3.7 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 4–5.2 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 6–7.5 mm long; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 1–2 mm long overall. Palea 0.8 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.9–1.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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