Festuca luciarum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Stolons present. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 4–15 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 2–5 cm long; wider than blade at the collar; ribbed; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.3–0.4 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.4 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; angular in section; 3–12 cm long; 0.6–1 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 7–9 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 5–20 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; 3–7 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending, or spreading; 1 -nate; 2–5 cm long; bearing 1–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis 4–7 noded; smooth. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 8–12 mm long; 5–7 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.75–1.5 mm long; scaberulous; glabrous, or pubescent. Floret callus 0.2–0.3 mm long; pilose.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.6–4 mm long; 0.66–0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume hairs 0.2–0.5 mm long. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume oblong; 3–6 mm long; 0.6–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume hairs 0.2–0.5 mm long. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile florets with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma hairy (at tip); muticous. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; membranous; glaucous and purple; suffused with last colour; without keel; rounded except near apex; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1 mm long overall. Palea 5.5–6.5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above; with 0.33 of their length adorned. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on back and on margins; hairy above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 1–1.4 mm long; membranous; glabrous. Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous, or pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3 mm long; glabrous, or hairy at apex. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.66 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: New Zealand.

NOTES Poeae. Connor 1997.

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