Festuca scabra

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short, or elongated. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; pubescent; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 20–100 cm long. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with flat margins. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–7 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 5–30 cm long; 5–10 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Dioecious. Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; 5–30 cm long; 1–3 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 7–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5 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 lanceolate; 6 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female. Male spikelets resembling female.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Poeae. Gr S Afr 1993.

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