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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 urubambana
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; robust; 150–250 cm long; 2–4 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4–10(–12) mm long; membranous; acute. Leaf-blades linear; linear in section; 50–100 cm long; 4–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; ovate, or pyramidal; continuous; loose; 30–40 cm long; 30 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading, or drooping. Panicle branches scabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising (3–)4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 11–16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes pilose. Floret callus glabrous, or sparsely hairy.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5–7(–8.5) mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6.5–9.5 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8.5–11 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex muticous, or mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; lanceolate; 0.8 mm long. Anthers 3; (3–)4–5.5 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; lanceolate. Hilum linear; 0.6 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.
NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2007.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
