Festuca vaginata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths purple; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 25–60 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.6–1.2 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 9–11 vascular bundles; with 3–5 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; 9–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading. Panicle branches glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4.3–6.5 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 ovate; 2.4–3.7 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 3–4.5 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1 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, southeastern, and eastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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