Festuca rzedowskiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 25–50 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.33 of their length closed; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.1 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 0.35–0.45 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 5–7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or oblong; 6–10 cm long. Panicle branches terete; smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 8.5–10 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, or ovate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma apex acute; muticous. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels smooth. Apical sterile florets distinct from fertile; with internodes 3–3.5 mm long between them.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 2001.

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