New! - Search other data sources for Festuca elgonensis

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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 elgonensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths withering. Culms 35–70 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.33–0.5 of their length closed; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 30–40 cm long; 0.5–0.6 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 14–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 3–10 cm long. Panicle axis scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–7.5 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 7.5–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 6.5–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex emarginate, or acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–2.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; with 0.33 of their length adorned. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.7–3.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 2001.

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