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 rupicaprina

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 7–24 cm long. Leaf-sheaths unthickened at base; tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.3–0.6 mm wide; light green. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 1 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; 2–4 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading; simple; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.8–7.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.7–3.9 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 3.8–4.9 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.1–1.6 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2–2.6 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central and southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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