Festuca cataonica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 12–28 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; 0.4–0.7 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff; light green; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 5 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse; pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 3.5–6 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 7.5–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 3.9–4.4 mm long; chartaceous; with scarious margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 4.1–5.2 mm long; 1.7–2.3 mm wide; chartaceous; pruinose; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–1.2 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1997.

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