Festuca matthewsii subsp. aquilonia

Features

Stiff scabrid leaved tussock with scabrid inflorescences of wide-angled branches of awned spikelets borne high above circular or hexagonal glaucous leaves. Leaf-sheath 50-150 mm, glabrous or minutely scabrid, keeled, stramineous, margins membranous, brown below; apical auricles 0.3-0.7 mm, ciliate. Collar usually swollen. Leaf-blade 150.0-300.0 × 0.5-0.7 mm, glaucous, hexagonal and ribbed or terete, abaxially minutely or strongly antrorsely prickle-toothed sometimes glabrous, adaxially with abundant short white antrorse hairs on ribs and margins. Culm 300-700 mm, usually greatly exceeding leaf-blades, nodes sometimes geniculate, uppermost conspicuous, upper internodes sparsely prickle-toothed or glabrous. Panicle 70-150 mm with 6-9 nodes, of 8-25 spikelets; open wide-angled pulvinate branches sometimes contracted or becoming so, naked below, basal branch solitary with 2-7 spikelets, uppermost 4-6 spikelets solitary on short pedicels; rachis, branches and pedicels with abundant small prickle-teeth especially on convex surfaces, longer prickle-teeth on margins. Spikelets 10.0-15.0 × 4.5 mm, of 4-9 florets. Glumes unequal, keeled with prickle-teeth above, centrally green-bronze, margins pale membranous, ciliate; lower 3.4-5.0 mm, 1-nerved, triangular acute, upper 4.5-7.0 mm, 3-nerved, long triangular acute to obovate acute. Lemma 4.5-7.0 mm, lobes small (0.05 mm) or 0, rounded below becoming keeled above, sparsely scabrid on margin below and near awn; awn 0.5-1-2 mm. Palea 5-7 mm, frequently > lemma, apex deeply bifid, ciliate, keels toothed ½-2/3 or more, interkeel hairs above, margins of flanks ciliate above. Callus 0.2-0.3 mm, margins sparsely bearded, articulation ± flat. Rachilla 1.0-1.5 mm, hairy, hairs short and stiff. Lodicules 0.8-1.1 mm, > ovary, often hair-tipped. Anthers 2.50-3.75 mm, yellow or purpled. Ovary 0.50-0.75 mm, hispid hairs at apex; stigma-styles 1.8-2.5 mm. Seed 3-3.5 mm.