Festuca eskia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 22–50 cm long; 1–2.2 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–7 mm long. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; conduplicate; 0.7–1.6 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 9–11 vascular bundles; with 5–11 inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands below veins and above all veins. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; interrupted; nodding; 5–9.5 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous, or puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–10.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5.1 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 6–6.9 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea surface glabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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