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 hieronymi

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 50–110 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes terete. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 1 of their length closed; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 25–50 cm long; 0.5–0.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 10–12 vascular bundles; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or oblong; dense; 10–18 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2 -nate. Panicle axis scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8.5–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.8–1.5 mm long; smooth.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–5.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein without distinctive roughness. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above; puberulous. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3–3.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Turpe 1995.

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