Festuca pseudosclerophylla

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms geniculately ascending; 50–100 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat; 20–45 cm long; 5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear; 10–21 cm long; 1–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2–4 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 10–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; hyaline; pallid; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.5–5.5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; pallid; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough on veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 5–6 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical, or subapical. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Iran 1995.

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