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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Festuca magensiana
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 50–90 cm long; 2–3 -noded; with 0.1 of their length below uppermost node. Culm-internodes 4–12 cm long; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.5 mm long; erose; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 8–15 cm long; 0.8–1 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 5 inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 10–15 fertile spikelets.
Panicle contracted; linear; 3–11 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; 2–2.3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1–2 mm long; pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–3.4 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.3–5.5 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 4.8–6.8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea apex ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.3 mm long. Anthers 3; 1.5–1.7 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.
NOTES Poeae. Matthei 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
