36 POACEAE. 



57. FESTUCA. Fescue. 



Annuals or perennials with terminal panicles, sometimes 

 reduced to racemes; spikelets 2-many-flowered ; glumes more or 

 less unequal, acute, keeled, the lower 1-, rarely 3-nerved, the 

 upper 3-», rarely 5-ncrved; lemmas lanceolate, firm in texture 

 .it least near the base, narrow, rounded on the back or slightly 

 keeled, always 5-nerved, acute or usually awned; palea usually 

 about equalling the lemma; grain glabrous, elongated, often 

 adherenl to the palea. 



duals; Btamen usually solitary. 



Spikelets densely 8-13-flowered. F. octoflora. 



Spikelets loosely 2-5 rarely 6-flo\vered. 



I.- mma ciliatc; panicle rays not spreading. F. megalura. 



Lemma not ciliate; panicle rays at length spreading. F. pacifica. 

 ■ nnials; stamens three. 

 \.< avi B flat, rather broad. 



Lemma coriaceous, not at all keeled. F. elatior. 



Lemma membranaceous, keeled. F. subulata. 



Leaves narrow, involute. 



Plants with rootstocks. F. rubra. 



Plants without rootstocks. 



Leaves smooth; ovary hairy at apex. 



Lemmas awned. F. occidentalis. 



Lemmas awnless. F. viridula. 



Leaves rough ; ovary not hairy at apex. 



Lemmas awned. F. ovina ingrata. 



Lemmas awnless or nearly so. F. hallii. 



Festuca octoflora Walt. Tufted annual, 8-30 cm. tall; panicle 2-6 cm. 

 long, rather dense, often one-sided; spikelets 6-10 mm. long, 7-13-flowered; 

 lemmas I 4 mm. long, scabrous, attenuate into an awn about as long. Banks 

 of Snake River near Lewiston, rare; also near Steptoe Butte. 



Festuca megalura Xutt. Tufted annual, 30-40 cm. tall, smooth; panicle 

 Ice-like, elongated, tlexuous, 5-25 cm. long, pale-green; spikelets 4-5-flowered, 

 2.5 cm. long, including the awns; lemma lanceolate, scabrous, the body 5 

 mm., the awn 10-15 mm. long. Recently introduced but now abundant. 



Festuca pacifica Piper. Annual; stem single or a few in a loose tuft, 



in. tall; panicle 4-10 cm. long; branches mostly solitary, longest below, 



all erect al tir-t but becoming spreading or reflexed by means of a prominent 



ulvintifl at the base; -pikelets 2-6-flowered; lemma 6-7 mm. long, the awn 



two to three times as long. Wry common. 



Festuca elatior L. Perennial; the stout stem 100-150 cm. tall, smooth and 



Itous throughout; leaves il.it, dark green, 7-15 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide; 



larrow, erect, 10-25 cm. long, the branches solitary or in twos; spike- 



ither crow, led, lanccolatc-ol.long, 12-18 mm. long, 5-10-flowered; lemma 



rgined, acme, awnless. Escaped from cultivation. 



Festuca subulata Trin. Loosely tufted, glabrous or nearly so; stems 40- 



high; leaf blades flat, thin, 3-10 mm. broad; panicle very loose and 



mewhat drooping, 15-40 cm. long; rays in 3-5 sets; spikelets pale green, 



I mm. long; lemma membranaceous, narrowly lanceolate, 



- enure length, 5-7 mm. long, with an awn 5-20 mm. long. In wet 



