Festuca rubra L.

Tufted or spreading from slender rhizomes. Branching extravaginal. Prophyll keeled, hairy. Leaf-sheath (1)–3–7–(10) cm, tubular, red-brown, hairs often retrorse, rarely glabrous, striate, becoming fibrous; apical auricles 0 to 0.25 mm, finely ciliate. Collar sometimes thickened. Ligule 0.25 mm, finely ciliate. Leaf-blade (2)–10–(25) cm × 0.3–0.7 mm, elliptic to rounded or regularly hexagonal, abaxially smooth rarely antrorsely scabrid or hairy below, adaxially finely hairy, margins finely hairy; TS: usually 5 vascular bundles, 7 sclerenchyma strands, occasionally fewer or continuous. Culm 10–20–(45) cm, internodes erect or ascending-erect, usually > leaf-blades, nodes usually glabrous but sometimes evidently hairy or prickle-toothed, often glaucous, sometimes violet-suffused and striate. Panicle (1)–5–10–(20) cm, of 6–10–13 nodes, of (3)–8–15–(30) spikelets, narrow and erect with short branches to open ascending with long branches naked below, often secund above; basal branch solitary or binate with 2–10 spikelets, uppermost 5–10 solitary on short pedicels; rachis toothed on angles sometimes hairy rather than toothed and occasionally ± pilose, usually tortuous below, branches toothed or hairy on angles more so on basal branch at internodes; pedicels toothed on angles. Spikelets (5)–8–10–(13) mm, of 3–6 florets, often glaucous and/or purple-suffused. Glumes unequal, nerves often raised, keeled, smooth except for prickle-teeth on keel and infrequently elsewhere; margins membranous and ciliate; lower 2.5–3.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 3–5.5 mm, 3-nerved, sometimes shortly awned. Lemma 3.5–4.5–5 mm, 5-nerved, often glaucous, and violet-suffused, rounded, prickle-toothed above, margins ciliate below; awn 0.5–1.5–(2.5) mm. Palea 3.5–4.5–5 mm, apex pointed, shortly bifid, keels toothed to ½ or more, short interkeel hairs above. Callus 0.2–0.3 mm, bearded laterally; articulation ± oblique. Rachilla 0.8–1.25 mm, short stiff hairy, sometimes evident at anthesis. Lodicules 0.6–1.25 mm, usually lobed, often hair-tipped. Anthers (1.0)–1.5–2–3 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5–0.7 mm, sometimes hispid hairy at apex; stigma-styles c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 2.5–3.5 mm, free; embryo 0.5 mm; hilum in sulcus, = caryopsis.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing).]