Festuca stenantha

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 15–30 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.4–0.7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 3 inner ridges; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; 3.5–6.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches moderately divided. Panicle branches puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–8 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 linear; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear; 4.9–5.5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5.2–5.8 mm long; chartaceous; light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.5–3 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 1.7–2.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, and southeastern.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.

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