Festuca petraea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths purple; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms 30–60 cm long. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.6–0.8 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3–5 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; dense; 3–8 cm long. Panicle branches pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between 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 lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea surface pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.5–3.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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