Festuca paradoxa
Festuca hallii
cluster fescue
plains rough fescue
50-120 cm, glabrous.
(16)25-65(85) cm, glabrous, smooth or scabrous near the inflorescence;
nodes usually not exposed.
closed for less than 1/3 their length, glabrous, shredding into fibers;
Iigules (0.2)0.5-1.5 mm;
blades 2-8 mm wide, flat or loosely convolute, smooth or scabrous, veins 9-35, ribs obscure;
abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow strands;
adaxial sclerenchyma developed;
girders or pillars usually associated with the major veins.
closed for less than 1/3 their length, glabrous, smooth or scabrous, persistent;
collars glabrous;
ligules 0.3-0.6 mm;
blades usually conduplicate and 0.5-1.2 mm in diameter, rarely flat and 1-2.5 mm wide, gray-green, deciduous, abaxial surfaces scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or puberulent, veins (5)7-9, ribs 5-7, conspicuous;
abaxial sclerenchyma usually forming continuous or interrupted bands;
adaxial sclerenchyma present;
girders developed at the 3(5) major veins;
pillars developed at most other veins.
(5)10-20 cm, open, with 1-2 branches per node;
branches lax, ascending to spreading, spikelets clustered towards the ends of the branches, closely imbricate.
6-16 cm, usually more or less contracted, open at anthesis, with 1-2(3) branches per node;
branches erect or stiffly spreading, spikelets borne towards the ends of the branches.
4-7(7.5) mm, elliptic to obovate, with 3-5(8) florets.
(6.5)7-9.5 mm, with 2-3(4) florets.
lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, scabrous at least on the veins;
lower glumes (2.5)3-4(5) mm, usually almost as long as the adjacent lemmas;
upper glumes (3.5)4-5(5.5) mm;
lemmas 4-5(5.2) mm, stiffly chartaceous, ovate to obovate, glabrous, somewhat acute, unawned;
paleas as long as or slightly shorter than the lemmas, intercostal region smooth or scabrous distally;
anthers (0.7)1-2(2.5) mm;
ovary apices pubescent.
about equaling or slightly exceeding the upper florets;
lower glumes 5-8(9.5) mm, about equaling or slightly longer than the adjacent lemmas;
upper glumes 6.2-8.5(9.5) mm;
lemmas 5.5-8(9) mm, chartaceous to somewhat coriaceous, scabrous, rounded below midlength, veins somewhat obscure, apices unawned or awned, awns 0.5-1.3 mm;
paleas somewhat shorter than the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;
anthers 4-6 mm;
ovary apices sparsely pubescent.
= unknown.
= 28.
Festuca paradoxa
Festuca hallii
Festuca paradoxa grows in prairies, open woods, thickets, and low open ground, from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, south to northeastern Texas and northern Georgia. It resembles F. subverticillata (see previous), but its spikelets are more crowded on the branches.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Festuca hallii is a major component of grasslands in the northern Great Plains and the grassland-boreal forest transition zone, where it is an important source of forage. Its range extends from the Rocky Mountains of Canada east to western Ontario and south to Colorado. At the southern end of its range in Colorado, it grows in alpine meadows.
Festuca hallii differs from F. campestris (see next) in usually having short rhizomes, stiffly erect panicles, and smaller spikelets. Where the two species are sympatric, as in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, F. hallii is usually found at lower elevations.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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