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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 intercedens
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 6–20 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5–0.75 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.3–0.6 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 1–2 inner ridges; with 3–5 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface smooth.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; 2–5 cm long. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose. Panicle axis puberulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–8 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; 3.8–4 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4–5 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.6–2.6 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.2–1.75 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: central and southeastern.
NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.