Festuca fontqueri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Stolons present. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 20–40 cm long; 2–3 -noded; with 0.25–0.33 of their length below uppermost node. Culm-internodes striate; smooth; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes black. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.75–1 of their length closed; without keel; striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface to pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; erose; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5–10 cm long; 1.5–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 10–16 secondary veins; 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands (midrib & margins). Leaf-blade surface ribbed; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute, or acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or lanceolate; 3–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1–2 -nate; 1.5–4 cm long; bearing 2–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels tip rectangular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.6–0.7 mm long; scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–4.5 mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5 mm long; 1.5–2 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 2 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; glabrous. Hilum linear; 0.66 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Afr Nord 1999.

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