Festuca hawaiiensis Hitchc.

Map

Inflorescence

Plant

Spikelets

Landscape

Collar

Description

Perennials; culms tufted, erect, stout, up to 15 dm tall, glabrous. Sheaths shorter than internodes, glabrous; ligule membranous, 1-2 mm long, margins lacerate; blades 20-30 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, attenuate to an involute point, upper surface scabrous, lower surface smooth, base usually involute. Panicles open, erect, 30-40 cm long, the branches spreading or drooping, slender, 8-15 cm long, branching above middle, fasciculate, with ca. 5 branches in lower fascicles, the axis terete and smooth in lower part, angled and scabrous in upper part; spikelets 3-5 per branch, pedicels 5- 10 mm long, rachilla appressed-hispidulous; glumes narrow, glabrous, keels scabrous near apex, first glume 3-5 mm long, I-nerved, second glume 6-7 mm long, 3- nerved; lemmas narrow, 7-9 mm long, 1- 1.5 mm wide, faintly 5-nerved, rounded on the back, scabrous, apex acuminate or prolonged into an awn ca. 1 mm long; palea as long as lemma and closely fitting to edges of lemma, scabrous. Caryopsis reddish brown, oblong to ellipsoid, strongly dorsally compressed, 4-5 mm long.
(Description source: O’Connor, P.J. 1990. Poaceae, pp. 1481–1604. In: Wagner W.L., Herbst D.R. & Sohmer S.H. (eds.)., Manual of the flowering plant of Hawaiʻi. Vol. 2. University of Hawaii Press & Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu )