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 schischkinii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Butt sheaths pilose; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms 40–80 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule absent. Leaf-blades convolute; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Dioecious. Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; oblong; 6–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1–2 cm long; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; pallid; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–8 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; pallid; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins prominent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma oblong; 8–9 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; muticous. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 5 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female. Male spikelets resembling female.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Krivot 1995.

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