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 stuckertii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 20 cm long; 2 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 0.6–0.7 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7 vascular bundles; with 5 inner ridges; with 15 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acute; pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or oblong; dense; 6–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2 -nate. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 8–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1.5 mm long; scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4 mm long; 0.75 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; 5–5.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.5–7 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green and purple; suffused with last colour; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3.5 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.