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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 herrerae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms 30–90 cm long; 2–5 -noded. Culm-internodes scaberulous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; glabrous on surface, or pubescent; with reflexed hairs. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.3–2 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 10–25 cm long; 1–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; 6–19 cm long; 3–11 cm wide. Primary panicle branches drooping; 1–2 -nate; 4–5 cm long. Panicle axis scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.6–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 3.1–4.5 mm long; 0.6–0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–5.8 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.7–6.8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea surface scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 1.6–2.1 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; 2.9–3 mm long; dark brown; glabrous. Embryo 0.1–0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.7 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Poeae. Davidse 1994.

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