| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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 circinata
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 25–50 cm long; 2 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; smooth; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades curled; filiform; conduplicate; 0.9–1.5 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 18–20 vascular bundles; with 8–9 inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; linear, or oblong; 8–12 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2 -nate. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches scabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long; scaberulous.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–5.5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.5–6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear; 0.75 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.
NOTES Poeae. Turpe 1997.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
