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 S-nerved; lemmas lanceolate, firm in texture 

 at 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 

 adherent to the palea. 



Annuals; stamen usually solitary. 



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



Spikelets loosely 2-5 rarely 6-flowered. 



Lemma ciliate; panicle rays not spreading. F. megalura. 



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

 Perennials; stamens three. 

 Leaves 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 3-4 mm. long, scabrous, attenuate into an awn about as long. Banks 

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



Pestuca megaltura Nutt. Tufted annual, 30-40 cm. tall, smooth; panicle 

 spike-like, elongated, flexuous, 5-2S cm. long, pale-green; spikelets 4-S-flowered, 

 2-2.5 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, 

 5-30 cm. tall; panicle 4-10 cm. long; branches mostly soHtary, longest below, 

 all erect at first but becoming spreading or reflexed by means of a prominent 

 pulvinus at the base; spikelets 2-6- flowered; lemma 6-7 mm. long, the awn 

 two to three times as long. Very common. 



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

 glabrous throughout; leaves flat, dark green, 7-15 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide; 

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

 lets rather crowded, lanceolate-oblong, 12-18 mm. long, 5-10-flowered; lemma 

 scarious-margined, acute, awnless. Escaped from cultivation. 



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

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

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

 3-5-flowered, 7-12 mm. long; lemma membranaceous, narrowly lanceolate, 

 keeled its entire length, 5-7 mm. long, with an awn 5-20 mm. long. In wet 

 places in woods. 



