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Oregon fescue, Roemer's fescue

blue fescue, fétuque glauque, gray fescue

Habit Plants densely cespitose, without rhizomes. Plants densely cespitose, without rhizomes; usually glaucous or pruinose.
Culms

(35)50-90 (100) cm, erect, glabrous, smooth.

(15)22-35(50) cm, erect, glabrous, smooth.

Sheaths

closed for less than 1/2 their length, glabrous, hirsute, or scabrous, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.5 mm;

blades 0.5-1(1.2) mm in diameter, conduplicate, abaxial surfaces glabrous or puberulent, adaxial surfaces sometimes scabrous, glabrous or pubescent, veins (5)7-9, ribs 5-9, well defined;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 5-7 wide strands, sometimes confluent into a single band;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent.

closed for about 1/2 their length, pubescent or glabrous, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.4 mm;

blades 0.6-1 mm in diameter, conduplicate, veins 5-7, ribs 1-3(5), indistinct;

abaxial sclerenchyma forming continuous or interrupted bands;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent.

Inflorescences

(7)8-20(25) cm, loosely to densely contracted, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches erect to slightly spreading, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

2.5-9(11) cm, compact, erect, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches stiff, erect, smooth or scabrous, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

Spikelets

9-13.5 mm, with 4-6 florets.

5.5-9(11) mm, with 3-6(7) florets.

Glumes

exceeded by the upper florets, ovate-lanceolate, smooth or scabrous distally;

lower glumes (2)2.5-5 mm;

upper glumes 4-6.2 mm;

lemmas 5-7(8.2) mm, scabrous near the apices, awns (2)3-5 mm, terminal, usually more than 1/2 as long as the lemma bodies;

paleas about as long as the lemmas, intercostal region scabrous or puberulent distally;

anthers (2.6)2.8-3.6(4) mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

exceeded by the upper florets, ovate-lanceolate to ovate, glabrous or pubescent distally;

lower glumes (1.8)2-3(4) mm;

upper glumes 2.8-4(5.1) mm;

lemmas (3.5)4-6(6.2) mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, smooth or scabrous near the apices, sometimes pubescent distally, awns (0.6)1-1.5(2) mm, terminal;

paleas about equal to the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers (1.8)2-3 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

2n

= unknown.

= 42 [in European literature for the horticultural forms].

Festuca roemeri

Festuca glauca

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

Festuca roemeri grows in grasslands and open forests, primarily west of the Cascade Mountains, from southeastern Vancouver Island southward to northwestern California.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Festuca glauca is widely grown as an ornamental in the Flora region because of its attractive dense tufts of glaucous foliage. It is not known to have escaped cultivation. Several other Eurasian species of fescue with white or bluish foliage are also sold in the horticultural trade as "Festuca glauca". Determining the species involved is beyond the scope of this treatment.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 440. FNA vol. 24, p. 422.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Festuca > subg. Festuca > sect. Festuca Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Festuca > subg. Festuca > sect. Festuca
Sibling taxa
F. altaica, F. amethystina, F. arizonica, F. auriculata, F. baffinensis, F. brachyphylla, F. brevissima, F. californica, F. calligera, F. campestris, F. dasyclada, F. earlei, F. edlundiae, F. elmeri, F. filiformis, F. frederikseniae, F. glauca, F. groenlandica, F. hallii, F. heterophylla, F. hyperborea, F. idahoensis, F. lenensis, F. ligulata, F. minutiflora, F. occidentalis, F. ovina, F. paradoxa, F. prolifera, F. pseudovivipara, F. rubra, F. saximontana, F. sororia, F. subulata, F. subuliflora, F. subverticillata, F. thurberi, F. trachyphylla, F. valesiaca, F. versuta, F. viridula, F. viviparoidea, F. washingtonica
F. altaica, F. amethystina, F. arizonica, F. auriculata, F. baffinensis, F. brachyphylla, F. brevissima, F. californica, F. calligera, F. campestris, F. dasyclada, F. earlei, F. edlundiae, F. elmeri, F. filiformis, F. frederikseniae, F. groenlandica, F. hallii, F. heterophylla, F. hyperborea, F. idahoensis, F. lenensis, F. ligulata, F. minutiflora, F. occidentalis, F. ovina, F. paradoxa, F. prolifera, F. pseudovivipara, F. roemeri, F. rubra, F. saximontana, F. sororia, F. subulata, F. subuliflora, F. subverticillata, F. thurberi, F. trachyphylla, F. valesiaca, F. versuta, F. viridula, F. viviparoidea, F. washingtonica
Synonyms F. idahoensis var. roemeri
Name authority (Pavlick) E.B. Alexeev Vill.
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