Festuca gautieri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 20–50 cm long; 0.9–1.7 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.66–0.75 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; filiform; conduplicate; 0.4–0.7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 1 inner ridges; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation, or with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; 4.5–7 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Panicle branches puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–11 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; 4.9–5.8 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 6–7.3 mm long; chartaceous; yellow, or mid-green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface smooth (except tip). 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.