Festuca ligulata

Swallen
Common names: Guadalupe fescue
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 408.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants loosely to densely cespitose, with short rhizomes. Culms 45-80 cm, erect or the bases decumbent, scabrous near the inflorescence. Sheaths closed for less than 1/3 their length, glabrous or finely scabrous; collars glabrous; ligules 3-5 (8) mm; blades 1-3 mm wide when flat, 0.6-1.2 mm in diameter when conduplicate, persistent, abaxial surfaces glabrous, smooth to sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous, veins (5) 7-9, ribs 5-9; abaxial sclerenchyma in strands opposite the veins, rarely a discontinuous band; adaxial sclerenchyma sometimes present; girders sometimes present at the major veins; pillars usually present if the girders not developed. Inflorescences 6-10 (16) cm, contracted or loosely open, with 1-2 (3) branches per node; branches erect or spreading, lower branches sometimes reflexed, spikelets borne towards the ends of the branches. Spikelets 6-8.5 mm, with 2-3 (4) florets. Glumes scabrous, acute; lower glumes 3-4 (5.5) mm; upper glumes 3.5-5.5 (6.5) mm; lemmas 4-6.5 mm, ovatelanceolate, glabrous, smooth or sparsely scabrous towards the apices, unawned; paleas as long as to slightly longer than the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally; anthers 1.5-2.6 mm; ovary apices pubescent. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Festuca ligulata grows on moist, shady slopes in the mountains of western Texas and north-central Mexico. It is listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of the United States.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"wider than long" is not a number."decumbent" is not a number."longest" is not a number.

... more about "Festuca ligulata"
scabrous +  and smooth to sparsely +
membranous +  and scarious +
puberulent +  and hirsute +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
unawned +, awned +  and entire +
hispidulous +
mucronate +, awned +, bidentate +, acute +  and attenuate +
Stephen J. Darbyshire +  and Leon E. Pavlickf +
Swallen +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
keeled +  and rounded +
swelling +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
persistent +
not evident +
flat +  and convolute +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
spreading;erect +
spikelike +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
Guadalupe fescue +
not branching +
pubescent +, scabrous +  and glabrous +
45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
not woody +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
2 +  and 3 +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
unequal +  and subequal +
persisting +
uncinate +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
1-7(9)-veined +
awned +  and entire +
ovatelanceolate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.65 cm6.5 mm <br />0.0065 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
with hispidulous apices +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
slightly longer +
2-keeled +
spikelike +
dry +  and fleshy +
glabrous +, pubescent +  and scabrous +
5 +  and 9 +
scabrous +  and glabrous +
1 +  and 60 +
compressed +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Festuca ligulata +
Festuca sect. Breviaristatae +
species +
membranous +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
parallel +  and converging +
obscure +  and prominent +
7 (?) +  and 9 (?) +
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +