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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 hyperborea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 7–10 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5–0.75 of their length closed; with flat margins; pubescent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.5–0.7 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 5 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface smooth; puberulous; densely hairy.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 1.5–2.3 cm long. Primary panicle branches simple; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5–6.2 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 lanceolate; 3–3.5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 3–3.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–1.7 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.5–0.6 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern. Asia-temperate: Soviet far east. North America: Subarctic.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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