Festuca cinerea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 18–35 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.2–0.25 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.5–0.8 mm wide; coriaceous; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer, or with unevenly thickened subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; dense; 4–6 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous, or puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–7.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.2–4.1 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; rough above. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4.6–5.2 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous and purple; suffused with last colour; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy above. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.7–1.7 mm long overall; 0.15–0.33 length of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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