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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 chalcophaea
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect; 15–50 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; hispid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; scaberulous on abaxial surface. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.25–0.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; pilose.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; lanceolate; interrupted; 3–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scabrous; glabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 6.5–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 3–4.3 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; mid-green and yellow (on margins); without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.6–5.3 mm long; chartaceous; dark green and yellow; bordered with last colour; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.2–2.5 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. Ovary with a few apical hairs.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Caucasus and western Asia.
NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
