Festuca gigantea (Linnaeus) Villars Hist. Pl. Dauph. 2: 110. 1787.
´ÓÑòéDA YANG MAO.
Bromus giganteus L. Sp. Pl.: 77. 1753. Lolium giganteum (L.) Darbysh., Novon 3: 241. 1993. Type: Prussia. Silesia: habitat in pratis pinquioribus cum Fest. elatiore, sed rarius obvenit, et magis locis montanis, quam declivibus crescit.
More extensive synonymy in the Catalogue of New World Grasses. R.J. Soreng, Project Leader, US. Subg. Schedonorus (Beauv.) Peterm, sect. Plantynia (Dum) Tzvel.
Vegetative morphology. Plants deep green. Plants stiffly erect (sometimes slightly decumbent). Plants loosely tufted. Plants clumped loosely. Plants with non-flowering shoots rare or absent. Plants with leaves along the stems. Plants with shoots extravaginal. Culms 45–150 cm tall. Culms 2–3 mm wide. Culms strict, erect, or geniculate (slightly). Culms internodes glabrous. Culms nodes (1–)2–3. Uppermost culms nodes in lower 1/3 of the culm, or in mid 1/3 of the culm. Sheaths longer than the internode (rarely), or shorter than the internode. Sheaths glabrous, or with trichomes. Sheaths glabrescent, or scabrous (that are scaberulous and retrorse). Sheaths open more than half their length. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant (usually brownish). Sheaths splitting between the veins (slowly), or remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the veins. Auricles claw-like. Ligules (0.5–)1–1.5(–2.5) mm long. Ligules glabrous. Ligules membranous. Ligules margins without cilia. Ligules apices entire, or erose (slightly). Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades linear. Leaf blades flat. Leaf blades adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges distinctly raised. Leaf blades (10–)15–35(–50) cm long. Leaf blades 6–18 mm wide. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces glabrous, or with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces scabrous. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous (glossy). Leaf blades margins scaberulous, or scabrous. Flag leaves blades 10–20 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath. Veins 26–36. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands present.
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate, or pyramidal. Inflorescences loosely open. Inflorescences (8–)15–25(–50) cm long. Inflorescences branches 5–10(–15) cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 4–6 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 2 (unequal, the shorter branch with 3–6 spikelets, the longer with 6–9 spikelets). Inflorescences branches flexible. Inflorescences branches appressed after anthesis. 3–9 fertile spikelets on the longest branches. Inflorescences branches angular in cross section. Inflorescences branches scabrous on the angles. Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate. Pedicels 2–10 mm long. Spikelets proliferating absent. Spikelets lower third of the branches without spikelets, or lower half of the branches without spikelets. Spikelets 8–13(–20) mm long. Spikelets (1.5–)2–3 mm wide. Spikelets greenish. Spikelets lanceolate. Florets 3–10. Glumes herbaceous. Glumes glabrous, or with trichomes. Glumes vestiture at the apex. Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins broadly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume lanceolate. First glume (3.5–)4–7 mm long. First glume 1–2 nerved (the second one is narrow and short). First glume 0.7–0.8 as long as second glume. Second glume broadly lanceolate. Second glume 5–8 mm long. Second glume 3 nerved. Second glume shorter than first lemma. Second glume 0.5–0.6 as long as the spikelets. Rachilla internodes 1.3–1.8 mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous (sparsely). Rachilla internodes flattened, or cylindrical. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight. Lemmas 6–7.5(–9) mm long. Lemmas lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate (usually). Lemmas subcoriaceous. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed. Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas with distinct veins in dorsal view, or nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas with trichomes. Lemmas scabrous. Lemmas trichomes on the upper portion (particularly on the veins). Lemmas margins smooth. Lemmas upper margins broadly membranous. Lemmas apices entire, or notched (slightly). Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns (6–)10–15(–18) mm long. Lemmas apices awns much longer than the lemmas. Paleas 6–7.5(–9) mm long. Paleas 0.8–1.1 mm apart. Paleas keels scaberulous. Paleas inter-keel regions glabrous. Lodicules with marginal teeth. Lodicules ciliate (slightly). Lodicules 0.9–1.1 mm long. Anthers 2.5–3 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous. Fruits 3.5–5.3 mm long. Cytology. 2n = 42.
Ecology. Flowering time Jul.-Aug. Along forests edge in grasslands, under shrubs and forests; 1000–3800m. Distribution. Northwestern China: Xinjiang. Southwestern China: Sichuan, Yunnan.
Notes. Classification following Tzvelev (1976). It has been suggested that this taxon might be placed in the genus Lolium, on the basis of evidence obtained for near naeighbour taxa F. arundinacea and F. pratensis, but this has not been widely taken up.
Illustrations. • Herbarium specimen: CAN. Note leaves deloped the culms, narrow spikelets with long awns. Duplicate specimen of F. gigantea from one of two collection sites in Quebec, known in 1995. • 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’.
