Festuca prolifera

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Stolons absent, or present. Butt sheaths red, or purple; distinctly ribbed; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–40 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; without keel. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 10–20 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear; 3–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–13 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5–14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–4 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 4–6 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5.5–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent, or pilose. Lemma apex acute; muticous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 1.5–2 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vegetative proliferation occurs.

DISTRIBUTION North America: eastern Canada and northeast USA.

NOTES Poeae. Gray 2004.

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