Festuca durata B.X. Sun & H. Peng B.X. Sun & H. Peng, Guihaia 13(3): 223. 1993.
Ó²ÐòÑòé YING XU YANG MAO.
Subg. Schedonorus (Beauv.) Peterm, sect. Plantynia (Dum) Tzvel.
Vegetative morphology. Plants bisexual. Plants loosely tufted, or solitary. Plants with non-flowering shoots more common than flowering shoots. Plants with tillering leaves 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the culms. Plants with shoots intravaginal. Rhizomes present. Rhizomes long. Rhizomes 1–1.2 mm in diameter. Culms (30–)50–80(–110) cm tall. Culms 1–2.5 mm wide. Culms spreading, or strict, erect. Culms internodes glabrous. Culms nodes 2. Uppermost culms nodes in lower 1/3 of the culm. Sheaths shorter than the internode. Sheaths glabrous. 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 glabrous. Auricles claw-like. Auricular cilia absent. Ligules 0.3–0.5 mm long. Ligules papyraceous, or membranous. Ligules apices erose, or lacerate. Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades linear. Leaf blades flat. Leaf blades adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges distinctly raised. Leaf blades 5–15(–25) cm long. Leaf blades 2–6 mm wide. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades apices weakly prow tipped, or not prow tipped. Flag leaves blades 3–5 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath, or nearly equal to the sheath. Veins 10–14. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands present. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed. Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands. Ribs 13.
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate. Inflorescences spiciform (but long). Inflorescences not nodding. Inflorescences 10–25 cm long. Inflorescences branches 1.2–3(–9) cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 3–6 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 1–2. Inflorescences branches stiff. Inflorescences branches scabrous on the angles (scaberulous). Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate. Pedicels 3–10 mm long. Spikelets evenly distributed along the branches (2–4 spikelets). Spikelets 10–17 mm long. Florets (3–)4–6. Glumes herbaceous. Glumes glabrous. Glumes margins narrowly membranous (narrowly). Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate. First glume 5–7 mm long. First glume 3 nerved. Second glume narrowly lanceolate. Second glume 6–8 mm long. Second glume 5 nerved. Rachilla internodes 1.6–2.5(–3) mm long. Rachilla internodes glabrous. Rachilla internodes flattened. Lemmas 6.5–9.5 mm long. Lemmas broadly lanceolate. Lemmas subcoriaceous. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed. Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas glabrous. Lemmas upper margins not membranous. Lemmas apices notched (slightly). Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns present. Lemmas apices awns 6–10.5(–12.5) mm long. Lemmas apices awns about as long as the lemmas. Paleas 6–7 mm long. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas. Paleas keels glabrous. Paleas inter-keel regions glabrous. Anthers 2.5–3.5 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous.
Ecology. Flowering time Jun.-Oct. Along roadsides or in ditch; 1400–2600 m. Distribution. Southwestern China: Yunnan, Guizhou.
Notes. Like F. gigantea the plants have claw-like auricles, long awns and ovary apices that are glabrous.
Illustrations. • Herbarium specimen. Plants loosely tufted or solitary; with non-flowering shoots more common than flowering shoots, with tillering leaves 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the culms. One of the specimens cited in the the original description, Peng Hua 0045. Herbarium: HGAS. • Close up to inflorescence. Spikelets more than 10 mm long. Lower entire spikelet with 5–6 florets distribued a zig-zig rachilla with internodes 1.6–2.5 mm long. First glume not visible. Second glume about as long as the first lemma. Awns about as long as the lemmas. HGAS: Peng Hua 0045,. • Distribution map.
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’.
