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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Festuca paniculata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 60–120 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaves heterophyllous being wider on the culm. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–2.5 mm long; bilobed. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 14–82 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially, or on both sides; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or oblong; dense; 8–20 cm long. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets obovate; laterally compressed; 7–11 mm long; 4–5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4.5–6 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume oblong; 5–7.5 mm long; 0.7–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 7–8.5 mm long; chartaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate; muticous. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.5–3.5 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, and southeastern. Africa: north.

NOTES Poeae. Gr Extremad 1993.

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