Festuca litvinovii (Tzvelev) E. Alexeev Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast, 13: 31. 1976.
¶«ÑÇÑòé DONG YA YANG MAO.
Festuca pseudosulcata var. litvinovii Tzvelev, Pl. Asiae Centr. 4: 170. 1968. Subg. Festuca L. sect. Festuca.
Vegetative morphology. Plants yellowish green. Plants stiffly erect, or softly erect (usually). Plants loosely tufted, or turf forming, or densely tufted. Plants clumped loosely, or moderately. 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 (usually). Plants with shoots intravaginal. Culms 20–50 cm tall. Culms geniculate (slightly), or strict, erect. Culms internodes glabrous, or scabrous (or scaberulous). Culms nodes 1–2. Uppermost culms nodes in lower 1/3 of the culm. Butt sheaths present, or absent. Butt sheaths with soft dead sheaths. Sheaths shorter than the internode. Sheaths glabrous. Sheaths open more than half their length. Sheaths conspicuous at the base of the plant, persisting for more than 1 year. Sheaths remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the veins. Auricles absent. Ligules 0.2–0.4 mm long. Ligules margins ciliolate. Ligules apices erose, or lacerate. Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades filiform. Leaf blades conduplicate. Leaf blades 5–20 cm long. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces glabrous, or with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces glabrescent (or scaberulous). Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades margins smooth, or scaberulous. Flag leaves blades 1.5–5 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath (2.5/6). Leaf blades 0.5–0.8 mm wide. Leaf blades 0.6–0.8 mm deep. Veins 5–7. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed. Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands, or in broad bands or continuous. Ribs 3 (only central rib and 2 lateral ribs well defined).
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate. Inflorescences spiciform. Inflorescences 3–6 cm long. Inflorescences branches 1–2 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 0.8–1.5 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 1 (usually), or 2. Inflorescences branches stiff, or flexible. 3–4 fertile spikelets on the longest branches. Inflorescences branches flattened and ribbon-like. Inflorescences branches scabrous all over, or scabrous on the angles. Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate, or dense. Pedicels 1–3.5 mm long. Spikelets aggregated towards the ends of the branches, or evenly distributed along the branches, or lower third of the branches without spikelets. Spikelets 6–8 mm long. Spikelets greenish, or brown. Florets 3–4(–5). Glumes with trichomes. Glumes surfaces scabrous, or pubescent. Glumes vestiture at the apex. Glumes margins ciliate. Glumes margins narrowly membranous (narrowly). Glumes apices accuminate, or acute. First glume lanceolate. First glume 2.8–3.5(–4.2) mm long. First glume 1 nerved. First glume 0.6–0.8 as long as second glume. Second glume lanceolate, or oblong. Second glume (3–)4–5 mm long. Second glume 3 nerved. Second glume shorter than first lemma, or similar in length to first lemma. Rachilla internodes 0.8–1.2(–1.9) mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous. Rachilla internodes cylindrical. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight. Lemmas 4.5–5.5 mm long. Lemmas lanceolate. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed, or rounded on the back. Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas with trichomes. Lemmas pubescent. Lemmas trichomes on the upper portion. Lemmas upper margins not membranous. Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns present. Lemmas apices awns 0.8–3 mm long. Lemmas apices awns much shorter than the lemmas. Paleas 4.5–5.5 mm long. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas. Paleas keels scaberulous, or scabrous. Paleas inter-keel regions punctiform, or scabrous. Anthers 2–2.8 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous. Fruits 2 mm long (immature).
Ecology. Flowering time Jun.-Aug. In grassy places on mountain slopes , meadows steppes , along roadsides; 2100–4200 m. Distribution. Northwestern China: Qinghai, Xinjiang. Northern China: Hebei, Shanxi, Nei Mongol. Northeastern China: Heilongjiang, Liaoning.
Notes. Classification following Tzvelev (1976); Leaf cross section similar to F. valesiaca. See illustration at http://cdelta.ibcas.ac.cn.
Illustrations. • Leaf cross section. Leaf blades 0.4–0.5 mm wide, 0.8 mm deep; veins 5; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent; abaxial in strands at the midvien and leaf margins. strands . Ribs 3 (only central rib and 2 lateral ribs well defined). • 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’.
