Festuca elviae

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose; clumped loosely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes short; fleshy; not obviously scaly. Basal innovations extravaginal, or intravaginal. Culms erect; of moderate stature; straight; 50–100 cm long; 2–4 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; 4.8–16 cm long; distally glabrous. 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; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; as wide as blade at the collar, or wider than blade at the collar; without keel; striately veined. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.6 mm long; membranous; white; erose. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or flexuous; involute; linear in section, or angular in section; 6–16 cm long; 0.7 mm wide; firm; mid-green, or dark green. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct, or evident. Leaf-blade venation indistinct, or distinct; comprising 8–15 vascular bundles; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface 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 contracted; linear, or lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 8–19 cm long; 0.8–3 cm wide; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets. Primary panicle branches 2–3 -nate; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–9 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 lanceolate; 0.6–2.5 mm long; 0.33–0.66 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear, or lanceolate; 1.8–3.8 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; dark green, or purple; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Upper glume margins scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 4.5–6.1 mm long; chartaceous; dark green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 1–2.2 mm long overall. Palea 4–6 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 1.6 mm long. Anthers 3; 0.9–1.8 mm long; yellow, or purple.

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.