FES'TU CA. 
3S8 
lariy. This decoration is alike reforted to by painters, 
fculptors, and architects.—The mere flower-painter is, 
we fee, obliged to ftudv the form of fcjloons. Shaftcfbury. 
FESTU'CA, f. [the flioot of a tree or herb, Pliny and 
Columella ; or grafs, Varro. The praetor’s wand, which the 
littor laid on the head of a flave, when he was made free. 
Plautus. From fetus, which is from the old verb feo .] 
Fescue-Grass ; a genus of the chafs triandria, order di- 
gynia, natural order of gramina, gramineae, or grades. 
The generic characters are—Calyx: glume many-flowered, 
iwo-valved, upright, containing the flofcules in a (lender 
(oblong, roundilh, Linn.) fpikelet; valves awl-ffiaped, 
acuminate, the lower fmalleft. Corolla: two-valved; 
lower valve largeft, of the fame form with the calyx, but 
larger, roundiffi, acuminate, ending in a dagger point; 
ncCtary two-leaved ; leaflets ovate lanceolate, acute, gib¬ 
bous at the bafe; or one-leafed, plano-concave, horizon¬ 
tal, emarginate. Stamina: filaments three, capillary, 
fhorter than the corolla; antherae oblong. Piftilluin : 
germ turbinate; ftyles two, fhort, reflex ; fiignias Ample. 
Pericarpium none; corolla very clofely flint, growing to¬ 
gether, and not gaping. Seed : Angle, flender-oblong, 
very (harp at both ends, grooved longitudinally.— EJfen- 
tialCharaEler. Calyx, two-valved ; fpikelet oblong, roun-d- 
ifli, with acuminate glumes. 
Dcfcription. Tbefe are panicled grades. According to 
Scopoli, feftuca, bromus, and triticum, are one genus. 
In Dr. Stokes’s opinion the two laft are fo, bromus being 
only a panicled triticum : but in feftuca, the outer valve 
of the corolla gradually narrows into the awn, whereas 
in the others the awn is inferted below the point of the 
valve, or the edge of the valve fwells out into a thin 
membrane on each fide the bafe of the awn. In feftuca, 
the awn is an extenfion of the whole valve ; in bromus 
and triticum, only of the keel or middle rib, as in avena. 
it is to be lamented that this obvious character is not fo 
conftant as to be depended on. 
Species, i. Feftuca bromoides, or barren fefeue-grafs : 
panicle directed to one fide, fpikelets upright, one valve 
of the calyx entire, the other acuminate. F. bromoides 
differs from F. myurus in the panicle’s refembling a fpike, 
and the glumes not being ciliate. It is like F. ovina, 
but has broader leaves. Ray obferves, that tire panicle is 
broader and (horter than in F. myurus; the fpikelets are 
alfo larger and broader; and the culm has three or four 
j oints. Its height is about half a foot; the culms are in¬ 
clined ; the leaves are thin and fmooth, the lower part of 
them quickly drying up ; the panicles branch at the bafe, 
they are compofed of fmooth flatted fpikelets, containing 
fix or feven flowers; the outer valve of the corolla ter¬ 
minates in a long awn ; the calyx has the outer bafe very 
(mall, the inner is large, and ends in an awn like the co¬ 
rolla. Native of England and France, on walls, and in 
fiandy paftures; flowering in June and July. Annual, 
2. Feftuca ovina, or (heep’s fefeue-grafs : panicle di¬ 
rected to one fide, contracted, awned ; culm four-corner¬ 
ed, almoft naked ; leaves briftle-ftiaped. This is a fmall 
grafs, fcarcely exceeding fix inches in height; perennial, 
flowering in June and July. It grows chiefly on dry 
Candy foils, and in elevated fituations ; on all our fineft 
(heep-downs common. This grafs has been much cele¬ 
brated for feeding (heep. Linnaeus affirms that it is their 
principal food, and that they have no relilh for hills and 
heaths that are without it. Grnelin fays, that the Tar¬ 
tars choofe to fix during the fummer where there is the 
greateft plenty of this grafs, becaufe it affords a moll 
wholefome nourilhment to all kinds of cattle, but chiefly 
(heep. It certainly is a very fweet feed, as far as it goes, 
on (heep-downs. Mr, Anderfon does not fcruple to affirm 
that it is capable of affording an immenfe quantity of hay ; 
that it promifes to be one of the belt graffes our country 
produces, and to make a mod valuable acquifition to the 
farmer. This is carrying our prejudices very far indeed; 
for in its native foil, on dry elevated heaths and commons^ 
its foliage is hard and wiry, its produce very trifling. In 
fuch fituations it is of a purplifti-brovvn colour in fummer. 
In a rich moift foil, indeed, the foliage retains itswerdure, 
and becomes much longer, but being (fill a fmall plant, 
it can never be productive, and confequently cannot have 
any pretenfions to be conlidered as fit for a hay grafs. 
Were the (beep’s fefeue to be fown in fuch a foil, the 
graffes and other plants natural to that foil would quickly 
overpower it; and it is not merely the grafs, but the 
nature of the foil in which it grow s, the elevated fitua- 
tion, and the dry falubrious air, that are acceptable to 
(heep. Mr. Curtis, who has combated the vulgar notion 
of the excellence of this poor wiry grafs for feeding cat¬ 
tle, particularly (heep, has however found out that it is 
excellent for the purpofe of making a fine grafs-plat, re¬ 
quiring little mowing. When it has once got pofleflion 
of the foil, it will form fo thick a turf, as to fuffer few 
intruding weeds, and -may be kept in order with little 
trouble. For this purpofe it mull be fown about the 
middle of Auguft, in an open but not too dry fituation,. 
broad-caft, and that thickly, on ground nicely prepared 
and levelled. 
The variety, (3 F. vivipera, grows in Sweden, and on 
the mountains of Wales, Yorkfture, and Weftmoreland. 
3. Feftuca rubra, or purple or red fefeue-grafs: pa¬ 
nicle directed to one fide, fcabrous ; fpikelets (ix-flower- 
ed, awned ; flofcule at the end awnlefs ; culm femicylin- 
dric. Diftinguifited from the foregoing by its greater 
fize, its red colour when ripe, and the culm being cylin- 
dric only flatted a little on one fide. Found in high 
heaths and dry paftures, flowering in July. Perennial. 
4. Feftuca amethyftina : panicle flexuofe; fpikelets di¬ 
rected to one fide, inclined, nearly awnlefs ; leaves briftle- 
ftiaped. This is probably nothing more than a variety. 
Haller makes it a variety of F. ovina. 
5. Feftuca reptatrix : branches of the panicle fimple ; 
fpikelets fubfeflile. Root perennial, the thicknefs of a 
goofe-quill, creeping very far under ground, covered with 
broad rudiments of leaves. Native of Arabia and Paleftine. 
6. Feftuca duriufcula, or hard fefeue-grafs : panicle di¬ 
rected to one fide, oblong ; fpikelets oblong, of an even 
fmooth furface; leaves briftle-ftiaped. Root perennial. 
Culm twelve or eighteen inches in height. Leaves fmooth. 
According to Hudfon, it varies with briftle-form and fili¬ 
form roughifh root-leaves; flat and channelled naked 
(tern-leaves; with from four to ten flowers in a fpikelet;, 
which are either fmooth or pubefeent. But he makes 
the next fpecies to be a variety of this. Found in dry 
p'aftures ; flowering in June. It is early and productive ; 
from tliefe circumftances, and its natural place of growth, 
it appears to be a proper grafs for (heep paftures. All 
tliefe graffes form an admirable pafture for (heep, and feem 
to flourifti mod when they are bit the clofeft, but in ge¬ 
neral they are not productive. 
7. Feftuca dumetorum, or pubefeent fefeue-grafs: pa¬ 
nicle fpike-form, pubefeent; leaves filiform. Culms a 
foot or eighteen inches in height, filiform, cylindric, with 
two fwelling knots. Root-leaves a foot long, cylindric, 
fcarcely ancipital; ftem-leaves (hotter, channelled. Very 
nearly allied to F. duriufcula. Grows in woods and 
hedges; flowering in June and July. 
8. Feftuca elatior, or tall fefeue-grafs : panicle directed 
to one fide, upright; fpikelets moftly awned, the outer 
ones cylindric. Leaves from a foot to eighteen inches 
long. Hudfon, who joins the meadow with the flote- 
fefeue, doubts whether this be a diftinCt fpecies, fince it 
has fo many things in common with them. Curtis, though 
he allows it to be very fimilar, yet afterts it to be fpecifi- 
cally different. It grows in large tufts, and is confpicuous 
by the breadth of its leaves, the height of its Items, and 
the drooping of its panicle at lead before it flowers. 
In very luxuriant fpots the leaves are fometimes half an 
inch wide; but in general this grafs varies little except 
in fize, and fometimes in having awns. It is found in 
moift. 
