Festuca picturata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms 25–40 cm long. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.4–0.6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 5–7 inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands below veins, or below veins and above some veins; with 7–9 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle pubescent above.

Panicle open; 4–7 cm long. Panicle branches pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5–7.5 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; 3.4–3.9 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4.2–5.2 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green and purple; suffused with last colour; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.2–2 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: central, southeastern, and eastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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