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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 valesiaca
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 25–40 cm long. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with flat margins; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 7–15 cm long; 0.5 mm wide; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle scaberulous above.
Panicle contracted; oblong; 3–7 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending. Panicle branches scaberulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5.8–6.9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3.5 mm long; 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, or oblong; 2.6–3.6 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.6–4.9 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above; glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–2 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; 2–3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, and Mongolia. Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
