Festuca prudhommei

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 4.5–15 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate, or involute; elliptic in section; 1–3 cm long; 0.3–0.4 mm wide; mid-green, or glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 3–4 vascular bundles; with 1–3 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation, or with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; oblong; 0.8–2 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 4–6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; 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; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2.5–3.5 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.8–2 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern.

NOTES Poeae. Portal 2001.

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