Festuca plicata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm. Culms 8–16 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; transversely wrinkled; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.5–0.6 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 3–5 secondary veins; 3–5 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; dense; 2–4 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1 -nate; bearing 3–6 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2 mm long; yellow. Ovary with a few apical hairs.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern. Africa: north.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Afr N 1994.

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