Festuca varia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm. Culms 20–35 cm long; 2 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5 of their length closed; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades curved; deciduous at the ligule; filiform; conduplicate; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 5–11 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; dense; 3.5–7 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 9–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5 length of upper glume; scarious; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; scarious; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5–1 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Hilum linear; 0.66 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Caucasus and western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Afr N 1994.

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