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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 hystrix

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms 8–25 cm long; 1 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; smooth; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; 1–8 cm long; 0.7–0.7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 3 secondary veins; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear; dense; 1–4 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1–3 -nate; indistinct the panicle almost racemose, or simple; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scabrous; tip rectangular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.66 length of upper glume; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with scarious margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–2 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern. Africa: north.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Afr N 1994.

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