Festuca pontica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 15–35 cm long. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.2 of their length closed; with flat margins. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.4–0.65 mm wide; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 5 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle pubescent above.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 4–8 cm long. Panicle branches 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; 8.5–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear; 5.3–5.8 mm long; 0.9–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 5.5–6.3 mm long; chartaceous; yellow, or mid-green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–2.5 mm long overall; 0.33–0.5 length of lemma. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1993.

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