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 dolichophylla

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 65–110 cm long; 2–4 mm diam. Culm-nodes constricted; brown; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2.5 mm long. Leaf-blades erect; filiform; conduplicate; 25–50 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6–12 inner ridges. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle 8–15 cm long; smooth, or scaberulous above.

Panicle open; elliptic; nodding; 10–25 cm long; 3–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2 -nate; 6–12 cm long.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–17 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 4–6 mm long; 0.66–0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7.2 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.5–8 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Rhachilla extension 3–4 mm long. Apical sterile florets rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana and western South America.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Costa Rica 1994.

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