Festuca fascinata Keng ex S.L.Lu Acta Phytotax. Sin. 30(6): 533. 1992.
¹ÆÑòé GU YANG MAO.
Type: K.L.Chu 7525 (Typus, NJU). Subg. Subulatae (Tzvelev) E. B. Alexeev, sect. Longiglumes S.L.Lu.
Vegetative morphology. Plants stiffly erect. Plants loosely tufted, or densely tufted. Plants clumped loosely, or moderately, or very tightly. Plants with non-flowering shoots more common than flowering shoots. Plants with leaves along the stems (have some basal leaves). Plants with tillering leaves 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the culms (almost half). Plants with shoots extravaginal. Culms 60–90 cm tall. Culms (0.7–)1.1–1.4 mm wide. Culms strict, erect (usually), or geniculate (slightly). Culms internodes glabrous. Culms nodes 2–3. Uppermost culms nodes in mid 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 remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the veins. Auricles absent. Ligules 0.3–0.6(–0.8) mm long. Ligules glabrous. Ligules membranous. Ligules margins ciliate, or without cilia. Ligules apices erose. Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades filiform, or linear. Leaf blades flat (at culm), or involute (at base). Leaf blades adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges distinctly raised. Leaf blades (7–)14–25(–27) cm long. Leaf blades 1.5–2.6 mm wide. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces scabrous (or scaberulous). Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades margins scaberulous. Flag leaves blades 6–13 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath (7/16). Leaf blades Leaf blades Veins 5–7. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed (sclerenchyma 7). Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands. Ribs 5 (central rib and 4 lateral ribs well defined).
Floral morphology. Inflorescences broadly lanceolate. Inflorescences loosely open. Inflorescences slightly. Inflorescences 10–20 cm long. Inflorescences branches (3–)9–12 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 3.5–5 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 2 (usually), or 1. Inflorescences branches flexible. 8–18 fertile spikelets on the longest branches. Inflorescences branches angular in cross section. Inflorescences branches scabrous on the angles. Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate. Pedicels 2–5 mm long. Spikelets evenly distributed along the branches, or lower third of the branches without spikelets. Spikelets 7–10(–12) mm long. Spikelets 2–3.5 mm wide. Spikelets greenish, or brown (slightly). Spikelets broadly lanceolate, or lanceolate. Florets 3–5(–7). Glumes glabrous, or with trichomes (sparse). Glumes surfaces scabrous. Glumes vestiture at the apex, or on the veins. Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins broadly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate. First glume 2.1–3(–5) mm long. First glume 0.4–0.7 mm wide. First glume 1 nerved. First glume 0.5–0.6 as long as second glume. Second glume lanceolate (usually), or broadly lanceolate. Second glume 3.8–6 mm long. Second glume 0.9–1.2 mm wide. Second glume 3 nerved. Second glume similar in length to first lemma. Second glume 0.61–0.7 as long as the spikelets. Rachilla internodes 1–1.5 mm long (-2). Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous. Rachilla internodes flattened. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight. Lemmas 4.8–7 mm long. Lemmas lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed. Lemmas veins (3–)5. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas glabrous (or scaberulous). Lemmas upper margins narrowly membranous. Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns (4–)5–9 mm long. Lemmas apices awns about as long as the lemmas, or much longer than the lemmas (usually). Paleas 5–6 mm long. Paleas 0.6–0.8 mm apart. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas (or a little longer). Paleas keels scabrous. Paleas inter-keel regions glabrous. Anthers 1.2–2 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous (usually, may sparsely hairy). Fruits 3.5 mm long.
Ecology. Flowering time Jun-Sep. Under forests, on mountain slopes, in meadows; 2500–4100 m. Distribution. Northwestern China: Shaanxi, Gansu. Southwestern China: Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang. Central China: Hubei.
Notes. Lu (1992) placed this taxon in sect. Longiglumes and the clustering analysis lend some support to this classification.
Illustrations. • Herbarium specimen: PE: 529960. Herbarium label reads:On mountain slope, collected in Hubei. Note flat, but relatively narrow leaves, distributed up the stem, loosely open panicle with spikelets towards the ends of the branches. • Leaf anatomy 1. Drawn from PE: 529960 by Xiang Chen with permission. Leaf blades flat (culm leaf blades) or conduplicate (more common), adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges distinctly raised, 1.5–2.6 mm wide, 0.4–0.9 mm deep; veins 5-; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed (sclerenchyma 7), in discrete, relatively narrow strands opposite the veins; ribs 5 (central rib and 4 lateral ribs well defined). • Leaf anatomy 2. Drawn from PE: 529960 by Xiang Chen with permission. Leaf blades flat (culm leaf blades) or conduplicate (more common), adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges distinctly raised, 1.5–2.6 mm wide, 0.4–0.9 mm deep; veins 5-; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed (sclerenchyma in 7 strands), in discrete, relatively narrow strands opposite the veins; ribs 5 (central rib and 4 lateral ribs well defined). • Close up to spikelet. Spikelet about 7 mm long, with 3 florets, that are greenish or slightly brown. Second glume lanceolate (usually) 3.8–6 mm long, . Rachilla internodes 1–1.5 mm long (-Lemmas 4.8–7 mm long, Lemmas apices accuminate; awns (4-)5–9 mm long. • 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’.
