Festuca gracilior

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 20–35 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.25–0.5 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.5–0.8 mm wide; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer, or with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; dense; 4–7.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5–7.5 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 oblong; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 4–4.4 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.2–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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