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 cappadocica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect; 22–24 cm long. Culm-internodes scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 0.35–0.6 mm wide; firm. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 7 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 4.5–6 cm long. Primary panicle branches bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches hispid.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough above. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume linear, or ovate; 3.4–3.6 mm long; chartaceous; with undifferentiated margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.9–4.9 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface hispid. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.2–1.4 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea surface pilose; hairy all along. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3. Ovary with a few apical hairs.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Turk 1997.

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