Festuca jacutica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths yellow; glossy. Culms 50–70 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.33–0.5 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flexuous; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 15–30 cm long; 0.3–0.4 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 5–7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; 5–10 cm long. Panicle branches flexuous; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.5–2.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–3.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 1.5–3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, China, and Mongolia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl USSR 1995.

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