Festuca glumosa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 25–45 cm long; 1–2 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; antrorsely scabrous. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; without keel; striately veined; smooth, or scaberulous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.7–1 mm long on basal shoots; membranous; white; bilobed; obtuse. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 7–15 cm long; 0.8–1.2 mm wide; herbaceous; stiff, or firm; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; comprising 7(–11) vascular bundles; with 3–5(–7) inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; puberulous; moderately hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle open, or contracted; linear, or lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 7–20 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches appressed; sparsely divided; 1.5–3.5 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8.5–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar, or dissimilar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–6.5 mm long; 0.5–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous, or coriaceous; much thinner on margins; pallid, or light brown, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough above. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume oblong; 7–8.5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; with membranous margins; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 7–8.5 mm long; chartaceous; pallid, or mid-green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex emarginate, or acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.8–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned all along. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.5–0.8 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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