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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca calcarea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 20–40 cm long. Culm-internodes channelled; distally pubescent. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.25 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 0.2–0.4 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib keeled beneath. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 3–5 inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands below veins; with 5–7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle pubescent above.

Panicle contracted; linear; interrupted; 5–7.5 cm long. Panicle axis pubescent. Panicle branches pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.5–5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with hyaline margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; chartaceous; viscid; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.5–3 mm long overall; 0.5 length of lemma. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vegetative proliferation absent, or occurs.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Velcher 2005.

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