Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca pallens Host

First published in Icon. Descr. Gram. Austriac. 2: 63 (1802)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central & E. Europe. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 30-40 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; with 0 of their length closed; with flat margins; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; circular in section; 0.6-1.1 mm wide; stiff; glaucous; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation comprising 7-11 vascular bundles; with 1-9 inner ridges; with subepidermal sclerenchyma free from veins; with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; interrupted; loose; 4-9.5 cm long. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous, or puberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 4-7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5-8.4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 4-7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5-8.4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.3-5.2 mm long; 0.75-0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 4.3-5.4 mm long; chartaceous; glaucous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2-4 mm long overall; 0.5-0.75 length of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Hilum linear. Disseminule comprising a caryopsis and palea.
Distribution
Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern.
Reference
Poeae. Fl Eur 1995.
[GB]

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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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/

  • 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