Festuca vaginalis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes absent. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 30–50 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 3–6 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; coriaceous; firm; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct, or evident. 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 glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

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

Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 7–12 cm long; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets; contracted about primary branches.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar, or dissimilar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; (5.5–)6.5–8(–9) mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; hyaline, or membranous; pallid, or light green; without keels, or 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 8 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; pallid, or light green, or purple; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; symmetrical; 7–8 mm long; membranous; pallid, or light green; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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