Festuca madida

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Butt sheaths red; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms slender; 6–45 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths 3–10 cm long; wider than blade at the collar; ribbed; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.7–1.7 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.7–1.7 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; angular in section; 4–10(–20) cm long; 0.3–0.4 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 3–5 vascular bundles; with 5–7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; puberulous and pilose; hairy adaxially (puberulous), or abaxially (pilose).

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 3–6 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; 2–3.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–2 -nate; 1.5–2.5 cm long; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis 3–6 noded; scaberulous. Panicle branches scaberulous; with prominent pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.8–1.1 mm long; pubescent. Floret callus 0.1–0.2 mm long; glabrous; disarticulating transversely.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 3–5 mm long; 0.75–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex emarginate, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 0.5–2 mm long overall. Palea 4–5.5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned all along. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on back and on margins; hairy all along, or above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.6–1 mm long; membranous; glabrous, or ciliate; 2-toothed. Anthers 3; 0.5–0.9 mm long, or 1.2–1.6 mm long; retained within floret, or eventually exserted; purple. Ovary glabrous, or pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 2.5–3 mm long; glabrous, or hairy at apex. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 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.