Festuca ilgazensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with soft dead sheaths, or fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms slender; 10–16.5 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5 of their length closed. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.4–0.7 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.4–0.55 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 2–3 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 2–4 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Panicle branches puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels puberulous; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 6–6.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5.1 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with scarious margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.9–5.5 mm long; 1.4–1.5 mm wide; chartaceous; light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3–6 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear; 0.66 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1997.

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