Festuca matthewsii subsp. aquilonia

Detailed description

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 150–300 × 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 ½–⅔ 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.