Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca brevis (Boiss. & Kotschy) Asch., Schweinf. & Muschl.

First published in R.C.Muschler, Man. Fl. Egypt 1: 138 (1912)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Medit. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10-30 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-2 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades 3-10 cm long; 1-2 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; oblong; secund; 2-6 cm long; 0.8-1.5 cm wide. Panicle axis bearing deciduous spikelet clusters. Panicle branches angular; pubescent. Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels fused to each other; united below; cuneate; 2-3 mm long; pubescent; hairy below.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 7-10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous in a cluster with fused pedicels; pedicel base acute.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 7-10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous in a cluster with fused pedicels; pedicel base acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 3-5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 7-8 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5-7 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 9-11 mm long overall. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets 4-8 in number; barren; in a clump; lanceolate; 0-2 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 5-10 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 2-3; 1 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; hairy at apex. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Africa: north. Asia-temperate: western Asia.
Reference
Poeae. WDC.
[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/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images