Festuca wallichiana E. Alexeev Byull. Mosk. Obshch. Ispyt. Prir. Biol. 83(4): 120. 1978.
²ØÑòé ZANG YANG MAO.
Festuca polycolea Stapf. Type: Typus: Bor and Kirat Ram No. 20172, 11, June 1945, (K), selected by E. Alexeev. Subg. Festuca L. sect. Festuca.
Vegetative morphology. Plants bisexual. Plants densely tufted. Plants clumped moderately, or very tightly. 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. Plants with shoots intravaginal. Culms (7–)15–35 cm tall. Culms 0.4–0.6 mm wide. Culms geniculate (slightly), or strict, erect. Culms internodes glabrous (or scaberulous). 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 with trichomes. Sheaths pubescent. Sheaths open more than half their length. Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the plant. Sheaths remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the veins. Collars glabrous. Auricles erect swellings. Ligules 0.3–0.5 mm long. Ligules glabrous. Ligules papyraceous. Ligules margins ciliate, or ciliolate. Leaf blades erect, stiffish. Leaf blades filiform. Leaf blades conduplicate. Leaf blades 2.5–11 cm long. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades adaxial surfaces pubescent. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces with trichomes. Leaf blades abaxial surfaces scabrous. Flag leaves blades 2–10 cm long. Flag leaves blades distinctly shorter than the sheath, or nearly equal to the sheath. Leaf blades 0.35–0.45 mm wide. Leaf blades 0.55–0.65 mm deep. Veins 5(–7). Adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent. Abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed. Abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow or discrete strands. Ribs 3–4 (central rib and 3 lateral ribs well defined).
Floral morphology. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate. Inflorescences contracted. Inflorescences not nodding. Inflorescences (1.5–)2.5–6 cm long. Inflorescences branches 1.5–2.5 cm long. Inflorescences lowest internodes 0.7–2 cm long. Inflorescences branches at the lowest nodes 1. Inflorescences branches scabrous all over. Inflorescences branches vestiture moderate. Pedicels 2–3.5 mm long. Spikelets lower half of the branches without spikelets. Spikelets 5–5.5 mm long. Spikelets greenish, or purplish. Spikelets broadly lanceolate (ovate). Florets 4–5. Glumes membranous. Glumes glabrous. Glumes margins narrowly membranous. Glumes apices accuminate. First glume narrowly lanceolate. First glume 2–2.5 mm long. First glume 1 nerved. Second glume narrowly lanceolate. Second glume 3.8–4.2 mm long. Second glume 3 nerved. Rachilla internodes 0.7–0.9 mm long. Rachilla internodes antrorsely scabrous. Rachilla internodes cylindrical. Lemmas 3.2–3.8 mm long. Lemmas lanceolate. Lemmas membranous. Lemmas rounded on the back, or weakly keeled. Lemmas veins 3–4. Lemmas with trichomes. Lemmas scabrous. Lemmas trichomes on the upper portion. Lemmas apices accuminate. Lemmas apices awns (0.6–)0.8–1.8 mm long. Lemmas apices awns much shorter than the lemmas. Paleas 4 mm long. Paleas equal or subequal to the lemmas. Paleas keels scaberulous. Paleas inter-keel regions pubescent. Anthers 1.1–1.5 mm long. Ovary apices glabrous.
Ecology. On steppes dry slopes ; 3300m,. Distribution. Southwestern China: Xizang.
Notes. Alexeev (1978) provided a cross section that is like a small F. trachyphylla in shape i.e. with relatively distinct ribs, but with little sclerenchyma mainly at the mid-vein and leaf margins. The illustration at http://cdelta.ibcas.ac.cn was drawn from a leaf of the type specimen, with permission.
Illustrations. • Type specimen: KEW. Note relatively small plants with cespitose basal leaves, and narrow spike-like panicles.Type specimen at KEW: (H2000/02132 2) Bor and Kirat Ram No. 20172, 11, June 1945, (K), selected by E. Alexeev. • Leaf anatomy 1. Drawn by Xiang Chen, from KEW: (H2000/02132 2), with permission. • Leaf anatomy 2. Leaf anatomy from original description: Byull. Mosk. Obshch. Ispyt. Prir. Biol. 83(4): 120. 1978. Leaf blades erect, stiffish, filiform, conduplicate, 0.35–0.45 mm wide, 0.55–0.65 mm deep; veins 5(-7); adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent; abaxial sclerenchyma poorly developed (sclerenchyma vulgo confluentibus, from original description), in discrete, relatively narrow strands opposite the veins (at midrib and blade margin only; ribs 5 (central rib and 4 lateral ribs well defined, based on typus specimen from Kew: intus costis 1–3, , from original description). • Inflorescence branch. Type specimen : KEW H2000/02132 2.. Inflorescences narrowly lanceolate, contracted not nodding, (1.5-)2.5–6 cm long, branches 1.5–2.5 cm long, lowest internodes 0.7–2 cm long. Inflorescences primary branches at the lowest nodes 1. Inflorescences primary branches scabrous all over, branches vestiture moderate. • Plant spikelets. Plant spikelets from type specimen: KEW H2000/02132 2. Spikelets 5–5.5 mm long (ovate), florets 3–4; glumes membranous, glabrous, margins membranous, apices accuminate. First glumes narrowly lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm long, Second glumes narrowly lanceolate, 3.8–4.2 mm long,. Rachilla internodes 0.7–0.9 mm long, Lemmas 3.2–3.8 mm long, lanceolate, membranous, rounded on the back or weakly keeled, veins 3–4; awns (0.6-)0.8–1.8 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’.
