Festuca subalpina Y. L. Chang & Skvortzow ex S.L.Lu Acta Phytotax. 30(6): 537. pl. 4: 1–6. 1992.
³¤°×ɽÑòé CHANG BAI SHAN YANG MAO.
Type: W. Wang et al. 2310. Subg. Festuca L. sect. Aulaxyer.
Vegetative morphology. Plants softly erect. Plants 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 over half the length of the culms. Plants with shoots extravaginal. Culms 15–25 cm tall. Culms 0.5–0.6 mm wide. Culms geniculate. Culms internodes glabrous (or slightly scaberulous). Culms nodes 1. Uppermost culms nodes in lower 1/3 of the culm. Sheaths shorter than the internode. Sheaths glabrous, or with trichomes (basal sheaths). Sheaths pubescent. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant. Sheaths splitting between the veins. Auricles erect swellings. Ligules 0.1–0.3 mm long (very short). Ligules margins ciliate. Leaf blades more or less lax. Leaf blades filiform. Leaf blades conduplicate (slender, flaccid). Leaf blades 7–13 cm long. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces glabrescent (or scaberulous). Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Flag leaves blades 2–3 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath (3/5). Leaf blades 0.3–0.8 mm wide. Leaf blades 0.6–0.8 mm deep. Veins (5–)7–9. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed. Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands. Ribs 5 (centre rib and 4 lateral ribs well defined).
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate, or lanceolate. Inflorescences spiciform. Inflorescences 3–6 cm long. Inflorescences branches 0.5–2 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 0.5–0.7 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 1. Inflorescences branches appressed after anthesis. 3–4 fertile spikelets on the longest branches. Inflorescences branches angular in cross section, or flattened and ribbon-like. Inflorescences branches scabrous on the angles. Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate. Pedicels 0.5–1.2 mm long. Spikelets evenly distributed along the branches (sometimes only one spikelet one branches). Spikelets 5–6 mm long. Spikelets 2.5–4 mm wide. Spikelets purplish, or brown (with greenish). Florets 3–5 (terminal floret sterile). Glumes dissimilar. Glumes membranous, or herbaceous. Glumes glabrous, or with trichomes. Glumes surfaces scaberulous, or scabrous. Glumes vestiture at the apex. Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins narrowly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate, or lanceolate. First glume 2–2.5 mm long. First glume 1 nerved. First glume 0.6–0.8 as long as second glume. Second glume oblong, or broadly lanceolate. Second glume 2.8–3.2 mm long. Second glume 3 nerved. Second glume shorter than first lemma. Rachilla internodes 1–1.2 mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous. Rachilla internodes flattened, or cylindrical. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight, or curved. Lemmas 3.5–4 mm long. Lemmas lanceolate. Lemmas subcoriaceous. Lemmas rounded on the back. Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas with trichomes. Lemmas scabrous. Lemmas trichomes over the entire surface. Lemmas margins smooth. Lemmas upper margins not membranous. Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns 1–2.5(–3) mm long. Lemmas apices awns much shorter than the lemmas. Paleas 3.7–4 mm long. Paleas 0.4–0.6 mm apart. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas. Paleas keels scabrous. Paleas inter-keel regions punctiform, or puberulent. Lodicules 0.7–0.9 mm long. Anthers 1.5–2.1(–2.5) mm long. Ovary apices glabrous.
Ecology. Flowering time Jul.-Sep. On slopes ; 2500–2600m. Distribution. Northeastern China: Jilin.
Notes. Descrbed by Lu (1992) and placed in sect. Festuca by her. We put it here based on it's rubra-like leaf cross section and extravaginal shoots. See illustration at http://cdelta.ibcas.ac.cn.
Illustrations. • Plant black and white drawing. Drawing from Acta Phytotax. Sinica. 30(6): 537. pl. 4: 1–6. 1992, with the original description. • Leaf anatomy 1. Drawn by Xiang Chen, from PE: 1155121 (Wang Wei 2249), with permission. Note: Leaf blades conduplicate, 0.3–0.8 mm wide, 0.6–0.8 mm deep; veins 5 adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent; abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed, ribs 5. • Leaf anatomy 2. Drawing from Acta Phytotax. Sinica. 30(6): 537. pl. 4: 1–6. 1992, with the original description. Leaf blades filiform, conduplicate, 0.3–0.8 mm wide, 0.6–0.8 mm deep; veins 7–9; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent; abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed, in discrete, relatively narrow strands opposite the veins; ribs 5. • Close up to spikelet. Drawing from Acta Phytotax. Sinica. 30(6): 537. pl. 4: 1–6. 1992, with the original description. Spikelets, 5–6 mm long, 2.5–4 mm wide, purplish or brown (with greenish). Florets 3–5 (terminal floret sterile). • Close up to glumes. Illustration from Acta Phytotax. Sinica. 30(6): 537. pl. 4: 1–6. 1992, with the original description. Glumes, membranous or herbaceous, glabrous or with trichomes, surfaces scaberulous or scabrous, at the apex, margins membranous, apices accuminate. First glumes narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm long, 1 nerved, 0.6–0.8 as long as second glumes. Second glumes oblong or broadly lanceolate, 2.8–3.2 mm long, 3 nerved, shorter than the first lemma. • Dorsal view of first floret. Illustraiton from Acta Phytotax. Sinica. 30(6): 537. pl. 4: 1–6. 1992, with the original description. Lemmas 3.5–4 mm long, lanceolate, subcoriaceous, rounded on the back, veins 5, nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct, , scabrous over the entire surface, upper margins not membraneous. Lemmas apices entire, accuminate, awns 1–2.5(-3) mm long, much shorter than the body of the lemma. • 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’.
