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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 heteropachys
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 30–72 cm long. Culm-internodes antrorsely scabrous. Leaves heterophyllous (variable width in same plant). Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0 of their length closed; with flat margins; pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.45–1.35 mm wide; stiff; mid-green, or glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 1–3 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with sclerenchyma strands widened to form a discontinuous subepidermal layer, or with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; ovate; continuous, or interrupted; 6–15 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7.5–8.1 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.9–5 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4.6–6.2 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green, or glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.3–3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: central and southwestern.
NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
