Festuca nitidula

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes short. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 28–50 cm long. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; conduplicate; 10–20 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 4–6 vascular bundles; with 4–6 inner ridges; with 7–9 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above. Leaf-blade surface ribbed.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; 4–10 cm long. Panicle branches flexuous; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–4 mm long; 0.66–0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.5–6 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above; glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–3 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.5–0.8 mm long. Ovary with a few apical hairs.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pak 1993.

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