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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Festuca humilior
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 12–25 cm long; 2 -noded; with 0.5 of their length below uppermost node. Culm-internodes terete. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flexuous; filiform; conduplicate; 0.5–0.7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; linear; 1.5–4 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2 -nate; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle axis smooth.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4.5–6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long; smooth.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.8–3 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5–3.8 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4–4.5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Principal lemma awn 0–0.5 mm long overall; deciduous. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.8–3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and southern South America.
NOTES Poeae. Turpe 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
