Plants loosely or densely cespitose, with short rhizomes or without rhizomes. Innovations mostly intravaginal. Blades more or less stiff, setaceous if lax, usually conduplicate, sometimes convolute or flat; ribs usually distinct; sclerenchyma usually only developed on the adaxial surface, sometimes forming pillars or girders at the major veins. Calluses wider than long, scabrous on the margins; lemmas chartaceous, apices usually entire, rarely minutely bidentate, usually awned, sometimes unawned; ovary apices usually pubescent, sometimes sparsely pubescent, rarely glabrous.

Discussion

Festuca sect. Festuca is most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere. Its species are native to all continents except Antarctica. There are perhaps 400 or more species in this section, with new ones constantly described.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Festuca amethystina, Festuca arizonica, Festuca auriculata, Festuca baffinensis, Festuca brachyphylla, Festuca brevissima, Festuca calligera, Festuca dasyclada, Festuca earlei, Festuca edlundiae, Festuca filiformis, Festuca frederikseniae, Festuca glauca, Festuca groenlandica, Festuca heterophylla, Festuca hyperborea, Festuca idahoensis, Festuca lenensis, Festuca minutiflora, Festuca occidentalis, Festuca ovina, Festuca prolifera, Festuca pseudovivipara, Festuca roemeri, Festuca rubra, Festuca saximontana, Festuca trachyphylla, Festuca valesiaca, Festuca viridula, Festuca viviparoidea, Festuca washingtonica