Festuca macra

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with soft dead sheaths. Culms 30–90 cm long; 2 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.75 of their length closed. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 4–25 cm long; 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib keeled beneath. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 5 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 5–20 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6(–9) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

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; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 4.5–5 mm long; chartaceous; yellow, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–3.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 1.6–2.2 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 2001.

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