Festuca parciflora

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms geniculately ascending; slender; straight; 25–40 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–1 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; involute; angular in section; 10–12 cm long; 1 mm wide; coriaceous; firm; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle open; lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 4–11 cm long; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches appressed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8.5–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar, or dissimilar; subequal in width, or with lower wider than upper; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or elliptic; 4 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 6–6.5 mm long; chartaceous; pallid, or mid-green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.5–1.5 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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