Festuca elwendiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with soft dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 30–45 cm long. Culm-internodes antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0 of their length closed; antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.3–0.65 mm wide; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer, or with unevenly thickened subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; lanceolate; loose; 3–10.5 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8.2–9.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear, or lanceolate; 4.2–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.4–6.5 mm long; 2–2.3 mm wide; chartaceous; light green, or glaucous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.5–3 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1997.

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