Festuca skvortsovii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms 15–40 cm long; 2 -noded. Culm-internodes antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; 10–14 cm long; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 15–25 cm long; 0.4–1 mm wide; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation with 7 secondary veins; 5 inner ridges; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; 8–16 cm long. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 6–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.5–4.2 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above; with 0.3 of their length adorned. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Caucasus.

NOTES Poeae. Alexeev 1995.

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