Festuca chita

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls evident. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 40–60 cm long; 1 -noded; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0–1 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; 0.3–0.5 mm long; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight; involute; angular in section; 10–15 cm long; 0.4–0.6 mm wide; coriaceous; mid-green. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; 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 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; 8 cm long; 0.3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; sparsely divided; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous; pubescent. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5.5–6.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–8.5 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; mid-green, or purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; symmetrical; 6.5–7.5 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn stiff; 0.5–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 0.6–0.8 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea surface pilose; hairy above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.8–1.1 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; lanceolate. Hilum linear; 0.5 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Stancik 2005.

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