Festuca liangshanica L.Liu Flora Reipulicae Populoris Sinicae 9(2) (in press).
LIANG SHAN YANG MAO.
Subg. Schedonorus (Beauv.) Peterm, sect. Plantynia (Dum) Tzvel.
Vegetative morphology. Plants loosely tufted, or pluricespitose. Plants clumped loosely. Plants with non-flowering shoots rare or absent. Plants with leaves along the stems. Culms 60–80 cm tall. Culms strict, erect, or geniculate (slightly). Culms internodes glabrous. Culms nodes 1–2. Uppermost culms nodes in lower 1/3 of the culm, or in mid 1/3 of the culm. Sheaths shorter than the internode. Sheaths glabrous. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant. Sheaths remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the veins. Collars glabrous. Auricles claw-like. Auricular cilia absent. Ligules 0.3–0.5 mm long. Ligules membranous. Ligules margins without cilia. Ligules apices erose. Leaf blades linear. Leaf blades flat. Leaf blades adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges indistinctly raised. Leaf blades 6–13 cm long. Leaf blades 2.5–4 mm wide. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades margins smooth. Flag leaves blades 5–13 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath. Veins 15–17. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands present. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed. Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands. Ribs 7.
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate, or lanceolate. Inflorescences loosely open. Inflorescences 8–20 cm long. Inflorescences branches 3–9 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 3–6.5 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 2 (one long and the other short). Inflorescences branches flexible. Inflorescences branches 4 fertile spikelets on the longest branches. Inflorescences branches angular in cross section. Inflorescences branches scabrous on the angles. Inflorescences branches vestiture sparse, or moderate. Pedicels 1–4 mm long. Spikelets lower third of the branches without spikelets, or lower half of the branches without spikelets. Spikelets 10–20 mm long. Spikelets 2.5–5.5 mm wide. Spikelets greenish, or brown. Florets 3–8. Glumes glabrous. Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins narrowly membranous (conspicuous). Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate. First glume 4–6 mm long. First glume 2 nerved. First glume 0.6–0.9 as long as second glume. Second glume lanceolate. Second glume 6–7 mm long. Second glume 4 nerved. Second glume shorter than first lemma. Rachilla internodes 1.8–2.2 mm long. Rachilla internodes glabrous. Rachilla internodes flattened, or cylindrical. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight, or curved. Lemmas 7.5–9 mm long. Lemmas broadly lanceolate. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed. Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas glabrous, or with trichomes. Lemmas punctiform (or scaberulous). Lemmas trichomes on the upper portion. Lemmas margins smooth. Lemmas upper margins narrowly membranous (conspicuous). Lemmas apices entire, or notched (slightly). Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns 4.5–13 mm long. Lemmas apices awns about as long as the lemmas, or much longer than the lemmas (usually). Paleas 7.5–8.5 mm long. Paleas 1.1–1.4 mm apart. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas. Paleas keels scaberulous. Paleas inter-keel regions glabrous. Anthers 3.6–4 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous.
Ecology. In grasslands of mountain slopes; 1200 m. Distribution. Southwestern China: Sichuan (Liangshan).
Notes. Like F. gigantea the plants have claw-like auricles, long awns and ovary apices are glabrous.
Illustrations. • 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’.
