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 parodii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 40–60 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; striate; smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 20–30 cm long; 0.8–0.9 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation comprising 10 vascular bundles; with 6 inner ridges; with 17 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins above and below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; dense; 6–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5–7.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.6–0.7 mm long; smooth.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4.5–5 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.5–5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2.5–3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Turpe 1997.

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