Genomic constitution

L, by assignment.

Distinguishing features

Plants perennial and densely tufted. Culms no more than 70 cm tall. Leaves filiform, about 0.5 mm thick when dry. Inflorescence with some spikelets radial to the rachis.

Description

Plants perennial, densely tufted. Culms 40-70 cm tall; lowest internode 0.5-1.3 mm thick.

Leaves filiform, to about 0.5 mm wide or diameter.

Inflorescence spikelike, with a tough rachis, 4.5-6.5 cm long, with 6-12 nodes, with solitary spikelets, some or all radial to the rachis; lowest internode 6-10.5 mm long; middle internodes 5-6 mm long.

Spikelets 10-24 mm long, with 3-5 florets. CHECK PEDICELS

Glumes elliptic-oblong, 6-10 mm long, subequal or the upper about 1 mm longer than the lower, hyaline margins about 0.1 mm wide,5 tips acute, not awned.

Lemmas 7.5-12 mm long, lower lemmas awned, awn 2.5-5.5 mm long, upper lemmas not awned. Paleas >>. Lodicules >>. Anthers 3-3.5.

Size

There is only one species, F. serpentii, in the genus.

Distribution

Festucopsis is endemic to Albania.

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Alternative interpretations

Festucopsis has been interpreted as including Peridictyon sanctum (Janka) Seberg, Fred. & Baden. The two were placed in separate genera in 1991. Cytological evidence supports their placement in separate genera.

Type species

Festucopsis serpentii (C.E. Hibb.) Melderis

Known problems

None

References

Linde-Laursen, I., O. Seberg, S. Frederiksen and C. Baden. 1996. The karyotype ofFestucopsis serpentini (Poaceae Triticeae) from Albania studied by banding techniques and in situ hybridization. Plant Systematics and Evolution 201:75-82.

Seberg O., S. Fredriksen, C. Baden, and and I. Linde-Laursen I. 1991. Peridictyon, a new genus from the Balkan peninsula, and its relationship with Festucopsis (Poaceae)