Festuca hatico

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose; clumped loosely. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes short; fleshy; not obviously scaly. Basal innovations extravaginal, or intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 60–70 cm long; 2–3 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. 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; without keel; striately veined. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.5 mm long; membranous; white; bilobed; obtuse. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight; conduplicate; angular in section; 30–40 cm long; 0.7–0.9 mm wide; coriaceous; firm; dark green, or purple. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface pilose; moderately hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

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

Panicle contracted; lanceolate, or elliptic; continuous; loose; straight; 10–20 cm long; 0.5–1 cm wide; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; sparsely divided; naked below. Panicle branches straight; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous; glabrous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.2–3.6 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; dark green, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.7 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; dark green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 6–6.5 mm long; chartaceous; dark green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface papillose. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; stiff; 0.3–0.7 mm long overall. Palea 0.8 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea surface papillose; pilose; hairy above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 1.7 mm long. Anthers 3; 3.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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