Festuca chimborazensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 12–25 cm long; 1 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; antrorsely scabrous. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–1 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined; smooth. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.1–0.3 mm long; membranous; white; entire; obtuse. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades curved, or curled; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section, or circular in section; 4–10 cm long; 0.5–0.7 mm wide; coriaceous; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 5 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar 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 glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

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

Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 3.5–6 cm long; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4(–5) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8–10(–11.5) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar, or dissimilar; subequal in width, or with lower wider than upper; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 2.5–3.5 mm long; 0.6–0.75 length of upper glume; herbaceous, or scarious; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume oblong; 3.5–4 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 6.5–7.2 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.8–2 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned all along. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.7–0.8 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side. Hilum linear; 0.66 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.