Festuca morisiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms slender; 10–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 2–5 cm long; 0.2–0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 7 inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands above all veins; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–7.7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.5 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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