Festuca matthewsii subsp. latifundii

Detailed description

Glaucous tussock with scabrid leaves and tall culms bearing reflexed branches of large spikelets. Leaf-sheath 30–100 mm, glabrous, margins membranous; apical auricles 0.4–1.0 mm, ciliate, approximately equal to ligule. Leaf-blade 80–300 × 0.5–0.9 mm, terete to ± hexagonal, undersides with short antrorse prickle-teeth especially on ribs, upper surface and margins with abundant longer white antrorse hairs. Culm 200–800 mm, usually exserted high above leaves, nodes dark, evident, internodes smooth but sometimes antrorsely scabrid. Panicle 60–180 mm, erect with 6–8 nodes, 10–20 spikelets; branches solitary or often binate, naked below, pulvinate and reflexed, basal branch 15–80 mm of 2–6 spikelets, uppermost 2–4 spikelets solitary on 2–4 mm pedicels; rachis margins prickle-toothed sometimes smooth below, branches and pedicels prickle-toothed on margins. Spikelets 10–16 × 4–6 mm, of 5–7 florets. Glumes unequal, keels sometimes prickle-toothed, centrally green, brown or reddish, margins ciliate; lower 3.0–5.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 3.5–6.5 mm, 3-nerved. Lemma 5–8 mm, 5-nerved, glaucous, keeled, smooth except for prickle-teeth at apex, margin antrorsely hairy; awn 1–3 mm. Palea 5.0–7.5 mm, usually greater than or equal to lemma, deeply bifid, keels toothed in upper ½ or more, interkeel hairs at apex, margins of flanks hairy above. Callus 0.2–0.3 mm, margin sparsely bearded; articulation ± oblique. Rachilla 1.0–1.5 mm, abundantly short stiff hairy. Lodicules 0.7–1.4 mm, usually hair-tipped. Anthers 3.0–4.2 mm, yellow to purple. Ovary 0.6–1.0 mm, hispid hairs at apex; stigma-styles 1.2–2.0 mm. Seed 2–3 mm.