Festuca cundinamarcae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely, or moderately. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes short; fleshy; not obviously scaly. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; of moderate stature; straight; 40–80 cm long; 2 -noded; with 0.25 of their length below uppermost node; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.1–0.2 mm long; membranous; white; entire. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight; filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 15–30 cm long; 0.75–0.85 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff, or firm; yellowish green, or dark green. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; comprising 9 vascular bundles; with 7 inner ridges; with 11 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; 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 pubescent; densely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

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

Panicle open; lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 14–17 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches appressed; moderately divided; 3–7 cm long; naked below, or bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7(–8) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 9–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–4.5 mm long; 0.75–0.85 length of upper glume; coriaceous; dark green, or light brown; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–4.5 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; dark green; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 5.4–5.7 mm long; chartaceous; dark green, or light brown; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Principal lemma awn 0–1 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels smooth. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.2–2.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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