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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 sipylea
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths light brown; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 8–20 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.25–0.33 of their length closed; with flat margins. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–1.2 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; bilobed. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.3–0.5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 2–3 inner ridges; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex obtuse; hardened.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; 2–2.5 cm long. Panicle branches hispidulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels pubescent; hairy all along but hairs longer above; tip widened.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 6–7.8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 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; 4–4.9 mm long; 0.75–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with scarious margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.6–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 6 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 glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear; 0.75 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Asia-temperate: western Asia.
NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.