Festuca coromotensis

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose; clumped loosely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes short; fleshy; not obviously scaly. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms erect; of moderate stature; straight, or curved; 100–150 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; 12–34 cm long; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves basal and cauline; 3–5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; wider than blade at the collar; without keel; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–0.8 mm long; membranous; white; entire. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades flexuous; flat, or convolute; linear in section; 31 cm long; 3–4 mm wide; flaccid; dark green. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade venation distinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle straight, or flexuous; terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate; continuous; dense, or loose; secund; straight; 28 cm long; 5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending; 2 -nate; moderately divided; 10.5 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume subulate, or linear; 2.5–3.5 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of upper glume; scarious, or cartilaginous, or coriaceous; dark green, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 6.4 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; dark green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma muticous. Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 5.5 mm long; chartaceous; dark green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.7–1 mm long overall. Palea 8.3 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea surface scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 1.2 mm long. Anthers 3; 2.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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