Festuca potosiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths papery; glossy. Culms 20–25 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 7–10 cm long; 0.5–0.8 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 7–11 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; linear; 6–8 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle branches glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–4.5 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough above. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; muticous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Gr Bolivia 1997.

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