Festuca oreophila

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths light brown; glossy; persistent and investing base of culm; with soft dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 25–30 cm long. Culm-internodes scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length, or tubular for much of their length; with 0.33–0.66 of their length closed. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 0.4–0.65 mm wide; glaucous; without exudate. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 3.5–5.5 cm long. Panicle branches scaberulous, or scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 7–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear, or lanceolate; 3.5–4.7 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–5.8 mm long; 1.75–2.1 mm wide; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–2.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and Mongolia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1997.

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