GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

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

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

Festuca popovii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Stolons present. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms geniculately ascending; 25–30 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 4–15 cm long; 1–4 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 3–5 vascular bundles. Leaf-blade surface ungrooved; smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Monoecious; with male and female spikelets in different inflorescences. Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 7–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2–3 cm long; bearing 2–5 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches capillary; straight, or flexuous; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 5 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; pallid; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear; 6 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; pallid; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma ovate; 8–10 mm long; chartaceous; light green and purple; suffused with last colour; keeled; lightly keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with distinct primaries but obscure intermediates. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough on veins. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long. Ovary with a few apical hairs.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female. Male spikelets resembling female.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Siberia.

NOTES Poeae. Popov 1997.

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