Festuca karavaevii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes elongated. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect; 25–35 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.75 of their length closed; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 8–14 cm long; 0.35–0.4 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 4–6 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8.5–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.5–5.8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1.3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels smooth. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.3–2.6 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Siberia.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 2001.

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