Festuca carchiensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped moderately. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 50–60 cm long; 1 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–0.8 mm long; membranous; white; entire. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; involute; angular in section; 25–40 cm long; 0.4–0.7 mm wide; coriaceous; light green, or mid-green. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3(–5) inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands below veins; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle terete; eglandular; glabrous.

Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 10–20 cm long; 0.7 cm wide; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets; contracted about primary branches. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 9–10.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous; sparsely hairy. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width, or with lower wider than upper; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.6–0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous, or herbaceous; pallid, or light green; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous; rough above. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 5–6.5 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; (6–)7–7.5 mm long; chartaceous; pallid, or light green, or purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.8–1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea surface scabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; lanceolate; 0.7 mm long. Anthers 3; 1.1–1.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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