Festuca rubra L.

Map

Inflorescence

Plant

Habit

Spikelets

Landscape

Culm base

Viviparous inflorescence

Description

Plants usually rhizomatous, usually loosely to densely ces¬pitose, culms sometimes single and widely spaced, sometimes stoloniferous. Culms (8)10-120 (130) cm, erect or decumbent, glabrous and smooth. Sheaths closed for about 3/4 their length when young, readily splitting with age, usually pubescent, at least distally, hairs retrorse or antrorse, sometimes glabrous, not persistent, older vegetative shoot sheaths shredding into fibers; collars glabrous; ligules 0.1-0.5 mm; blades usually conduplicate or convolute and 0.3-2.5 mm in diameter, sometimes flat and 1.5-7 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous, smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or pubescent, veins 5-9(13), ribs (3)5-7(9), usually conspicuous; abaxial sclerenchyma in 5-9(13) discrete or partly confluent strands, rarely forming a complete band; adaxial sclerenchyma sometimes present in fascicles opposite the veins; girders and pillars not developed. Inflorescences (2)3.5-25(30) cm, usually open or loosely contracted panicles, occasionally racemes, with 1-3 branches per node, lower branches with 2+ spikelets; branches erect or spreading, stiff or lax, glabrous, scabrous, or pubescent. Spikelets (6)7-17 mm, with 3-10 florets. Glumes ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, exceeded by the distal florets; lower glumes (1.5)2-6(7) mm; upper glumes (3)3.5-8.5 mm; lemmas 4-9.5 mm, usually glabrous and smooth, sometimes scabrous towards the apices, sometimes densely pubescent throughout, attenuate or acuminate in side view, awned, awns (0.1)0.4-4.5 mm; paleas slightly shorter than to about equaling the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally; anthers 1.8-4.5 mm; ovary apices glabrous. 2n = 28, 42, 56, 70.
(Description source: Barkworth, M.E., Capels, K.M. & Long, S. (eds.) 1993. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 24. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, Part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. 911 pp. http://floranorthamerica.org/Festuca_rubra )

Perennials, occasionally producing short, delicate rhizomes; culms loosely tufted, red-tinged or purple-tinged at base, erect to ascending, 4.5-10 dm tall, glabrous. Sheaths 3-4 cm long, striate, usually glaucous; ligule ca. 0.5 mm long; blades 8- 17 cm long, usually involute, sparsely scabrous On margins and at the acute apex. Inflorescences paniculate, 3-20 cm long, usually narrow and contracted, with erect or ascending branches 2-4 mm long; spikelets usually pale green or glaucous, often purple-tinged, 4-7-flowered, 10-15 mm long (including awns), rachilla scabrous; glumes attenuate, sparsely scabrous on upper 1/2 of keel, first glume 2.5-3 mm long; palea 4-5 mm long, keels scabrous, apex acute. Caryopsis pale brown, oblong, 3-4 mm long, dorsally compressed and sulcate. [2n = 14, 28, 35, 42-44, 46, 47, 49, 53, 55, 56, 60, 63, 64, 68-70.]
(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 )