Festuca batangica L. Liou
BA TANG YANG MAO.
Subg. Schedonorus (Beauv.) Peterm, sect. Plantynia (Dum) Tzvel.
Vegetative morphology. Plants yellowish green. Plants solitary, or loosely tufted. Plants clumped loosely. Plants with non-flowering shoots less common than flowering shoots. Plants with leaves along the stems. Plants with bases not purplish. Plants with shoots extravaginal. Culms 30–50 cm tall. Culms 1.4–1.8 mm wide. Culms strict, erect. Culms internodes glabrous. Culms internodes ridged or striped. Sheaths longer than the internode. Sheaths with trichomes. Sheaths villous. Sheaths open more than half their length. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant. Sheaths splitting between the veins. Sheaths, of uppermost culm leaf not inflated. Collars villous. Auricles claw-like. Auricular cilia absent. Ligules 1.5–3 mm long. Ligules glabrous. Ligules membranous (brownish). Ligules margins without cilia. Ligules apices lacerate. Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades linear. Leaf blades flat. Leaf blades adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges indistinctly raised. Leaf blades 15–20 cm long. Leaf blades 4–6(–7) mm wide. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces villous. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces scabrous (or scaberulous). Flag leaves blades 15–20 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly longer than the sheath. Ribs 12–18.
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate. Inflorescences loosely open. Inflorescences not nodding. Inflorescences 12–17 cm long. Inflorescences branches 6–7 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 3.5–4 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 3. Inflorescences branches flexible, or capillary. Inflorescences branches rounded in cross section. Inflorescences branches scabrous all over. Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate (antrose). Pedicels 5–10 mm long. Spikelets aggregated towards the ends of the branches, or lower 2/3 or 3/4 without spikelets. Spikelets 10–13 mm long. Spikelets 2–2.5 mm wide. Spikelets greenish. Spikelets narrowly lanceolate. Florets (1–)2–3. Glumes membranous. Glumes glabrous, or with trichomes. Glumes vestiture on the veins (on the mid vein). Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins narrowly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume linear, or narrowly lanceolate. First glume 5.5–6.5 mm long. First glume 1 nerved. First glume 0.7–0.8 as long as second glume. Second glume linear, or narrowly lanceolate. Second glume 7.5–8 mm long. Second glume shorter than first lemma. Second glume 0.65–0.75 as long as the spikelets. Rachilla internodes 2–2.5 mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous (or trichomes almost villous). Rachilla internodes cylindrical. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight. Lemmas 9–10 mm long. Lemmas lanceolate. Lemmas herbaceous, or subcoriaceous. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed. Lemmas veins 3. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas glabrous. Lemmas margins smooth. Lemmas upper margins narrowly membranous. Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns 6–8 mm long. Lemmas apices awns about as long as the lemmas. Paleas 5.5–6 mm long. Paleas 0.6–0.8 mm apart. Paleas conspicuous but relatively short. Paleas keels glabrous, or scaberulous. Paleas inter-keel regions glabrous (scaberulous at 40X). Lodicules without marginal teeth. Lodicules ciliate (with numerous cilia). Lodicules 1.5–2 mm long. Anthers (1.5–)2–2.5 mm long. Ovary apices hairy (all over).
Ecology. Yun Sha forests edge, 3800 m. Distribution. Southwestern China: Sichuan (Ba Tang Xian).
Notes. An immature specimen of this taxon annotated by L. Liou is PE 1279579. Young ovaries that appear to be hairy all over, and we would like to confirm this characteristic on older material. It is tentatively assigned here.
Cite this publication as: ‘Xiang Chen, S.G. Aiken, and M.J. Dallwitz (2002 onwards). Festuca of China: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 4th February 2003. http://www.cdelta.ibcas.ac.cn’.