Festuca rechingeri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped moderately, or densely. Culms erect; 10–30 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.66–0.75 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 2–6 cm long; 0.7–0.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3–5 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or oblong; 2.5–4.5 cm long. Panicle axis smooth, or with occasional prickles. Panicle branches smooth, or with occasional prickles.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 7–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.7–5.2 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1.2 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned all along. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2–2.2 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 2001.

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