Festuca brachyphylla J. A. Schultes and J.H. Schultes Mantissa 2: 646. 1827.
¶ÌÒ¶Ñòé DUAN YE YANG MAO.
F. brevifolia R. Br. Chloris Melvilliana: 31. 1823, non Muhlenberg, Descr. Gram. 167. 1817. F. ovina var. brevifolia (R. Br.) S. Watson in King, Geol. Explor. Forth. Parall. Bot. 5: 389. 1871. F. ovina subsp. brevifolia (R. Br.) Hackel Bot. Centralbl. 8: 406. 1881. F. ovina subsp. brachyphylla (Schult. and Schult. f.) Piper, Contrib. U.S. Natl. Herb. 10: 27. 1906. F. ovina var. brachyphylla (Schult. and Schult. f.) Hitchc. U. S. Dep. Agric. Misc. Publ. 200: 75, 876. 1951. F. jouldosensis D. M. Chang. Type: Canada. N.W.T.: Melville Island, collected on the W.E. Parry Expedition, 1819–1820, J. Edwards s.n. Lectotype: BM! (Frederiksen 1977). Subg. Festuca L. sect. Festuca.
Vegetative morphology. Plants yellowish green, or bluish gray green, or deep green (even reddish). Plants stiffly erect (rarely), or softly erect (usually). Plants densely tufted (usually). Plants clumped moderately (usually). Plants with non-flowering shoots more common than flowering shoots. Plants with leaves mostly basal. Plants with tillering leaves 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the culms, or over half the length of the culms. Plants with prophylls well developed, strongly keeled like a large palea, split on one side, elongated. Plants with shoots intravaginal. Culms (5–)8–30(–55) cm tall. Culms strict, erect (usually). Culms internodes glabrous (usually), or scabrous (occasionally). Culms internodes ridged or striped. Culms nodes 1 (when visible). Uppermost culms nodes in lower 1/3 of the culm (when visible). Butt sheaths present (small but often conspicuous). Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culms. Butt sheaths with compacted dead sheaths. Sheaths longer than the internode, or shorter than the internode (larger plants). Sheaths glabrous. Sheaths open more than half their length. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant. Sheaths remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the veins. Auricles erect swellings. Ligules glabrous. Ligules membranous. Ligules margins ciliate. Ligules apices erose. Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades filiform. Leaf blades conduplicate. Leaf blades (1.5–)2–10(–20) cm long. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces pubescent, or scabrous. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Flag leaves blades (0.2–)1.5–2.5 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath. Leaf blades 0.35–0.5 mm wide. Leaf blades (0.3–)0.55–0.7(–0.8) mm deep. Veins (3–)5–7. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed. Ribs 1 (well defined, 2–4 variously defined).
Floral morphology. Inflorescences linear, or narrowly lanceolate. Inflorescences spiciform and contracted. Inflorescences 1.5–4(–5.5) cm long. Inflorescences branches (0.2–)0.5–1.5 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes (0.3–)0.6–1 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 1–2. Inflorescences branches stiff. Inflorescences branches appressed after anthesis. 1–2(–5) fertile spikelets on the longest branches. Pedicels 0.2–2(–3) mm long. Spikelets aggregated towards the ends of the branches (if applicable, often only one spikelet per rachis node). Spikelets 4–6(–8) mm long. Spikelets 1.5–3.5 mm wide. Spikelets greenish, or brown (usually). Florets 2–4(–6). Glumes glabrous (over most of the surface), or with trichomes. Glumes surfaces scaberulous. Glumes vestiture at the apex, or on the veins. Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins narrowly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate. First glume (1.2–)1.5–2.5(–3.3) mm long. First glume 0.6–0.8 mm wide. First glume 1 nerved. First glume 0.4–0.8 as long as second glume. Second glume oblong. Second glume (2.4–)3–4(–4.5) mm long. Second glume 1–1.2 mm wide. Second glume 3 nerved. Second glume shorter than first lemma. Second glume 0.5–0.6 as long as the spikelets. Rachilla internodes 0.8–1 mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous. Rachilla internodes cylindrical. Rachilla internodes clavate. Rachilla internodes straight. Lemmas 3–4.5(–5.2) mm long. Lemmas lanceolate. Lemmas rounded on the back (at the base), or weakly keeled (towards the apex). Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas with trichomes. Lemmas scabrous. Lemmas trichomes on the upper portion. Lemmas margins smooth. Lemmas upper margins narrowly membranous. Lemmas apices accuminate, or attenuate. Lemmas apices awns (0.2–)0.8–1.5(–3.5) mm long. Lemmas apices awns much shorter than the lemmas. Paleas 3–5.5 mm long. Paleas 0.7–1 mm apart. Paleas keels glabrous, or scaberulous (seen at 40X). Paleas inter-keel regions scabrous. Anthers (0.5–)0.7–1.1(–1.3) mm long. Ovary apices glabrous. Fruits 1.8–2.2 mm long. Cytology. 2n = 42.
Ecology. Flowering time Jul-Sep. On alpine meadows, mountain slopes , under forests, among shrubs, gravely; 3500–4800 m. Distribution. Northwestern China: Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang.
Notes. Classified as an aggregate species by Tzvelev (1976), but other members in the aggregate are not in China.It has been extensively studied in the Canadian Arctic by Aiken who has also examined material from the circumpolar range of this species, if not from China. The description is based on that work as during the work study for Festuca in China done in North America. We have not seen specimens from China.
Illustrations. • "Brunette" form. The genotypic "brunette" form of F. brachyphylla subsp. brachyphylla showing deep purple-brown inflorescences and the conspicuous remains of the previous season's dead leaves, photographed at Iqaluit, Baffin Island, N.W.T. • Forma flavida at Baffin Island, N.W.T.. The forma flavida of F. brachyphylla subsp. brachyphylla. Left, forma brachyphylla. Right, genotypically albino plants of forma flavida, with yellow green leaves and pale yellowish inflorescences. Photographed at McCormick Inlet, Baffin Island, N.W.T. • "Red head" form. Conspicuously red plants of F. brachyphylla subsp. brachyphylla. The redness appears to be a phenotypic colour transition stage for plants with purple inflorescences, towards the end of the summer. Plants growing at the Causeway, Iqaluit, Baffin Island, N.W.T. • Variation in plant height. Plants of F. brachyphylla lined up to show variation in plant height, total size, and colour found within 100 m of each other. The collection was made on Baffin Island, N.W.T. at Cormick Bay, the beach. Genetic factors appear to explain the paler green plants. The deep blue green plants may well have received additional nitrogen from random sources. • Leaf anatomy. Leaf cross section of F. brachyphylla subsp. brachyphylla. Plicate leaf blades are 0.35–0.44–0.65 mm wide and (0.3-)0.55–0.75–0.8(-0.95) mm deep, with 3–5(-7) veins; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands are absent. Abaxial sclerenchyma strands are poorly developed, in discrete, relatively narrow strands opposite the veins. There is one well defined rib and 2–4 variously defined ribs. • Habitat photograph of Causeway, Iqaluit, Baffin Island, N.W.T.. General view of habitat disturbed by human influences, taken of the Causeway at Iqaluit, Baffin Island, N.W.T., where the picture of the "red head" form of F. brachyphylla subsp. brachyphylla was taken (white box, foreground). • Type specimen of forma flavida: GH. Type specimen of F. brachyphylla subsp. brachyphylla forma flavida. Canada, N.W.T., Baffin Island, Lake Harbour. 25–26 Aug. 1927. M.O. Malte, s.n. GH!. • Distribution in China.
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’.
