Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca vaginalis (Benth.) Laegaard

First published in Novon 8: 30 (1998)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ecuador. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/45956/11026899

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Cataphylls inconspicuous. Rhizomes absent. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; slender; straight; 30-50 cm long; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes without exudate; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal; 0-2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; unthickened at base; open for most of their length; without keel; striately veined. Ligule an eciliate membrane; membranous; white; entire; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; filiform; conduplicate; angular in section; 3-6 cm long; 0.5-1 mm wide; coriaceous; firm; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct, or evident. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with subepidermal sclerenchyma strands similar in size; with subepidermal sclerenchyma attached to veins below; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; with 1 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle terete; eglandular; glabrous. Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; continuous; dense; straight; 7-12 cm long; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets; contracted about primary branches. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8-10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8-10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar, or dissimilar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; (5.5-)6.5-8(-9) mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of upper glume; hyaline, or membranous; pallid, or light green; without keels, or 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 8 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; pallid, or light green, or purple; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; symmetrical; 7-8 mm long; membranous; pallid, or light green; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.
Distribution
South America: western South America.
Reference
Poeae. Stancik 2005.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0