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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca scirpifolia

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. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths loose; longer than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; smooth, or scaberulous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long; scaberulous on abaxial surface; truncate. Leaf-blades erect; filiform; conduplicate; 20–30 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 5 inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands below veins and above all veins; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; scabrous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 10–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2 -nate. Panicle axis scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1–1.25 mm long; scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.5–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. 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: southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Turpe 2011.

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