Festuca huamachucensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 5–10 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–1 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; filiform; convolute; angular in section, or elliptic in section; 3–6 cm long; 0.5 mm wide; coriaceous; firm; light green, or dark green. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

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

Panicle open; lanceolate, or elliptic; continuous; dense; straight; 3–5 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; sparsely divided; naked below, or bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; 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; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–4.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; hyaline, or membranous; pallid, or light green; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.7–5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; pallid, or light green; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 5.5–6.5 mm long; membranous; pallid, or light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 2.5–4.5 mm long overall. Palea 0.8 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels eciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.6–0.7 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.