58 FLOWERS OF THE HILLS AND DRY PLACES 



The panicle is narrow, one-sided, or all turned one way, with 

 egg-shaped spikelets, 4- 12 -flowered, smooth, hairy, and purple. The 

 flowering glumes are rounded, blunt, terminated with a sharp point, 

 with short awns, viviparous, the awn shorter than the palea. The 

 flowers have 3 stamens. There are hairs on the top of the ovary. 

 Sheep's Fescue is i ft. in height. Flowers are at their best in June 

 and July. It is a perennial grass, propagated by division. 



The floral symmetry is similar to that of Sand Fescue, the flowers 

 being triandrous and 3-12 flowered, pollinated by the wind. 



The fruit is light, and adapted for wind dispersal in spite of the 

 short awn. 



This is a sand plant, growing on sand soil or on barren rock soil, 

 which is derived from granitic or arenaceous rocks. It is also char- 

 acteristic of chalk soils. 



Barley-leaf Stripe, Pyrenophora trichostoma, is found to attack it, 

 also a gall, Enura depressa, caused by a Hymenopterous insect. The 

 Mountain Ringlet, Erebia epiphron, is found on it, also Anerastia 

 lotela. 



Festuca is Latin for stalk, stem, or straw. The second Latin name 

 means pertaining to sheep, because they will eat it, with the exception 

 of the flowering stems. It is called Black Twitch, Fescue Grass. It 

 is a suitable grass for lawns, forming short, thick turf, but is not a 

 valuable meadow grass. 



ESSENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 



341. Festuca ovina, L. Stem erect, leaves setaceous, tufted, curved, 

 radical leaves narrow, glaucous, panicle unilateral, awn shorter than 

 palea, spikelets purple, glabrous. 



