Festuca lapidosa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 15–30 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.1–0.25 of their length closed; with flat margins; puberulous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.35–0.6 mm wide; stiff; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 1 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with unevenly thickened subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside, or with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; dense; 3–5 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5–7 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 linear; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear; 3.6–4.6 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.2–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.5–3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

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

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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