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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 villipalea
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 50–70 cm long; 1 -noded; with 0.5 of their length below uppermost node. Culm-internodes terete; smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths inflated; tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 1–1.5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 10–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2 -nate. Panicle axis scabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes zig-zag; 1–2.5 mm long; scaberulous.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–5.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.5–7 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and southern South America.
NOTES Poeae. Turpe 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
