Festuca vierhapperi Handel-Mazzetti Anzeiy. Akad. Wiss. Wien 57: 176. 1920.
²ØµáÑòé ZANG DIAN YANG MAO.
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, or non-flowering shoots less common than flowering shoots. Plants with leaves along the stems. Plants with tillering leaves 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the culms. Plants with shoots extravaginal. Culms 60–90(–120) cm tall. Culms 1.2–1.5(–3) mm wide. Culms strict, erect. Culms internodes glabrous. Culms nodes 2–3(–4). Uppermost culms nodes in mid 1/3 of the culm. Sheaths longer than the internode, or shorter than the internode (usually). Sheaths glabrous, or with trichomes (basal sheaths). Sheaths pubescent. Sheaths open more than half their length. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant. Sheaths splitting between the veins. Auricles erect swellings, or absent (usually). Ligules 0.4–0.6 mm long. Ligules glabrous. Ligules membranous. Ligules margins ciliate, or ciliolate. Ligules apices erose. Leaf blades erect, stiffish. Leaf blades filiform, or linear. Leaf blades flat, or involute (may involute on drying). Leaf blades adaxial lateral longitudinal ridges distinctly raised. Leaf blades (3–)10–26(–30) cm long. Leaf blades 3–5.5 mm wide. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces pubescent. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces glabrous. Leaf blades margins scabrous. Leaf blades apices not prow tipped. Flag leaves blades 8–12(–18) cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath. Leaf blades Leaf blades Veins 7–13. Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands present. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed, or well developed. Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands. Ribs 5.
Floral morphology. Inflorescences lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate. Inflorescences loosely open. Inflorescences 8–20(–30) cm long. Inflorescences branches 8–12 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 4–8 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 1–2. Inflorescences branches flexible. 4–15 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 1.5–7 mm long. Spikelets loosely scattered in an open panicle with slender branches. Spikelets 7–10 mm long. Spikelets 2–3.5 mm wide. Spikelets greenish (grey), or purplish. Spikelets lanceolate, or narrowly lanceolate. Florets 3–5(–7). Glumes glabrous. Glumes margins not ciliate. Glumes margins narrowly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate. First glume 2.1–3.5(–4.5) mm long. First glume 1 nerved. First glume 0.4–0.7 as long as second glume. Second glume narrowly lanceolate. Second glume 5.1–6 mm long. Second glume 3 nerved. Second glume similar in length to first lemma (usually). Second glume 0.65–0.75 as long as the spikelets. Rachilla internodes 1.2–1.4 mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous. Rachilla internodes flattened. Rachilla internodes narrow. Rachilla internodes straight. Lemmas (6–)6.5–8 mm long. Lemmas lanceolate. Lemmas somewhat dorsally compressed. Lemmas veins 5. Lemmas nerveless in dorsal view or sometimes with only the centre vein distinct. Lemmas glabrous (or scaberulous towards the apex). Lemmas upper margins narrowly membranous. Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns 4–8(–10) mm long. Lemmas apices awns about as long as the lemmas, or much longer than the lemmas. Paleas 6.1–6.5 mm long. Paleas 0.81–1.2 mm apart. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas. Paleas keels scaberulous, or scabrous. Paleas inter-keel regions glabrous. Anthers 1.8–2.2 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous.
Ecology. Flowering time Jun-Sep. In grassy places of mountain slopes, along forests edge or under forests; 2900–4100 m. Distribution. Southwestern China: Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang.
Notes. Lu (1992) placed this taxon in sect. Longiglumes and the clustering analysis lend some support to this classification.
Illustrations. • Herbarium specimen: KUN: 0338547. Herbarium label reads: collected in Yunnan, grass land on slope. Note long flat leaves distributed up the culms and narrow spikelets with awns. • Close up to spikelets. Spikelet from KUN: 0338547, approximately 8 mm long with 4 complete florets and one incomplete floret. First glume narrowly lanceolate, 1 nerved. Second glume narrowly lanceolate, 3 nerved. Rachilla internodes 1.2–1.4 mm long, flattened, narrow, straight. Lemmas (6-)6.5–8 mm long, lanceolate, Lemmas apices accuminate; awns 4–8(-10) mm long, longer than the lemmas. • 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’.
