Festuca turimiquirensis

HABIT Caespitose; clumped moderately. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes absent. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms of moderate stature; straight; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–1 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight; elliptic in section; coriaceous; firm; dark green. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; moderately hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or elliptic; continuous; dense, or loose; straight; 15–17 cm long; 6–7 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; sparsely divided, or moderately divided; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight, or arcuate.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous, or herbaceous; mid-green; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–5.5 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; dark green; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 7–8.5 mm long; chartaceous, or herbaceous; pallid, or mid-green. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.7–2.5 mm long overall.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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