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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca diclina

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 30–70 cm long. Culm-nodes brown, or black; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades conduplicate, or convolute; 10–25 cm long; 1.2–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7(–9) vascular bundles; with 5–7 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; pyramidal; 8–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1–2 -nate; 5–9 cm long. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches flexuous; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pubescent; with 0.1–0.3 mm long hairs.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.4–4 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5–5 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with hyaline margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 1–3(–5) -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex setaceously attenuate; scabrous; muticous. Palea 5.5–7 mm long; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on back; hairy above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3–4.2 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Poeae. Darbyshire 2004.

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