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 groenlandica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes absent. Culms erect; 10–37 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0.5 of their length closed; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.5 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 0.4–0.7(–1) mm wide; 1–5 cm long at summit of culm. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5–7 vascular bundles; with 1–5 inner ridges; with sclerenchyma strands below veins; with 5–7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; (1.5–)2–5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 1–2 -nate; bearing 2–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4(–5) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4–4.5(–6) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.5–2 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough above. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or elliptic; (2–)2.2–2.7 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; (2.5–)3–3.5(–4) mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.7–2.1 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea surface smooth, or scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.8–1.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Subarctic.

NOTES Poeae. Fl N Amer 2007.

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