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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca glacialis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 8–20 cm long. Leaf-sheaths thickened at base; tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.4–0.7 mm wide; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; dense; 2–3.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches simple; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.3–6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

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; 3.9–4.3 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4.5–4.7 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.3–1.3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.3–2.8 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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