Festuca oelandica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms 30–37 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface to pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades aciculate; conduplicate; 0.5–0.7 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade midrib scarcely raised beneath. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with sclerenchyma strands below veins; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; pubescent. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; dense; 4–6 cm long; bearing many spikelets. Panicle branches flexuous; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5–8.7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

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 ovate; 2.8–4.9 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 4–6.3 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5–1.3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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