Festuca stricta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 23–43 cm long. Culm-internodes scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0 of their length closed; with flat margins; pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 0.55–1 mm wide; stiff; glaucous; without exudate, or pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer, or with unevenly thickened subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous; hairless throughout, or except near base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; dense; 4.5–6 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7.1–8.3 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; 3.5–5.4 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.2–5.8 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above; glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–2.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

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

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and Arabia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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