New! - Search other data sources for Festuca purpurascens

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca purpurascens

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms 40–120 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface, or pubescent on abaxial surface. Leaf-blades flat, or plicate; 10–30 cm long; 4–8 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade venation distinct. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; equilateral, or nodding; 10–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2 -nate; 9–18 cm long. Panicle axis scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1–1.5 mm long; pubescent. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–4.5 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or scabrous; glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.5–6 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or scabrous; glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 6–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5–3 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3–4 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3–3.5 mm long; dark brown; hairy at apex. Hilum linear; 0.75 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pat 1995.

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