Festuca rubra subsp. vallicola

(Rydb.) Pavlick
Common names: Mountain red fescue
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 418.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants rhizomatous, often with widely spaced single culms and only a few vegetative shoots, varying to loosely cespitose. Culms (20)25-70(100) cm. Sheaths tightly enclosing the culms; vegetative shoot blades 0.5-1.5 mm in diameter, conduplicate, deep green, abaxial surfaces smooth to slightly scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous on the ribs; cauline blades conduplicate or flat; abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow strands; adaxial sclerenchyma absent. Inflorescences 5-8 cm, closed or open. Spikelets 8-11 mm, with 4-7 florets. Lower glumes 2-3 mm; upper glumes 4-5 mm, acute to acuminate; lemmas 5-6 mm, pale green with violet borders, smooth or scabrous near the apices, apices awned, awns 1-2.5(4) mm; anthers 2-2.6 mm. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Festuca rubra subsp. vallicola grows in moist meadows, lake margins, and disturbed soil, at 1000-2000 m, in montane and subalpine habitats from the Yukon Territory/British Columbia border area south to Wyoming.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
Stephen J. Darbyshire +  and Leon E. Pavlickf +
(Rydb.) Pavlick +
Mountain red fescue +
Conn. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Wash. +, Va. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +, Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +, Mass. +, Maine +, N.H. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, Oreg. +, Wyo. +, Ala. +, Ariz. +, Ga. +, Iowa +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Md. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mont. +, N.Dak. +, Nebr. +, N.Mex. +, Pa. +, S.C. +, Tex. +, N.C. +, Tenn. +, Calif. +, Nev. +, Alaska +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Greenland +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Ohio +, Utah +  and Mo. +
Gramineae +
Festuca rubra subsp. vallicola +
Festuca rubra +
subspecies +