Festuca jeanpertii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 30–60 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.6–1 mm wide; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or oblong; dense; 7–17 cm long. Primary panicle branches moderately divided. Panicle branches glabrous, or puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5–7.8 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; 3.5–5 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 3.9–5.2 mm long; chartaceous; light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1.3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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