The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

western fescue

Culms

basal branching intravaginal.

Leaves

mainly basal;

sheaths open, with overlapping margins, not conspicuously splitting between the veins during the first year;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1–0.4(0.5) mm;

blades (5)10– 20(40)cm × 0.3–0.75 mm, conduplicate; more or less lax, green;

inner surface with hairs;

outer surface glabrous, rarely minutely scabrous; flag leaves 3–12 cm.

Inflorescences

5–20 cm;

branches spreading; the lowest usually reflexed at anthesis and remaining reflexed thereafter.

Spikelets

6–12 mm, with 2–5(7) florets.

Glumes

hairy at tips only;

lower glumes 2–5 mm, 1-veined;

upper glumes 3–6 mm; (1)3-veined.

Caryopses

3–4.5 mm, densely hairy at the tip.

Ovaries

apex densely hairy.

Plant

(25)45–110 cm tall, densely cespitose, green.

Leaf anatomy

cross sections 0.25– 0.6 × 0.35–0.75 mm; diamond-shaped or triangular;

veins (3)5– 7;

ribs 1(5); dorsal sclerenchyma bands less than twice as wide as thick.

Lemmas

4–6.5(8)mm, 0(1)-veined;

hairs near the tip only (rarely hairy throughout);

lemma awns 3–12 mm; some longer than the lemma body.

Festuca occidentalis

Festuca hallii

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Mesic to dry forest, in shade or partial shade. 0–2400m. BW, Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; western US and Canada, Great Lakes region. Native.

Festuca occidentalis is a fine-leaved, forest-dwelling bunchgrass easily identified by the lemma awns that are longer than the lemma bodies. The only other fine-leaved fescue with densely hairy tips of the ovary and seed is subalpine, virtually awnless F. viridula. Similar Festuca idahoensis and F. roemeri have leaves that are oval, round, or hexagonal in cross section, with sclerenchyma bands more than twice as wide as thick. Festuca rubra has fused sheath margins and awns that are shorter than the lemmas.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 411
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Sibling taxa
F. brachyphylla, F. californica, F. campestris, F. elmeri, F. filiformis, F. idahoensis, F. lemanii, F. roemeri, F. rubra, F. saximontana, F. subulata, F. subuliflora, F. trachyphylla, F. valesiaca, F. viridula
F. brachyphylla, F. californica, F. campestris, F. elmeri, F. filiformis, F. idahoensis, F. lemanii, F. occidentalis, F. roemeri, F. rubra, F. saximontana, F. subulata, F. subuliflora, F. trachyphylla, F. valesiaca, F. viridula
Web links