Festuca rubra subsp. aucta

(V.I. Krecz. & Bobrov) Hulten
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 414.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants rhizomatous, loosely cespitose, with several culms arising from the same tuft. Culms 30-120 cm. Sheaths pubescent, shredding into fibers, cauline leaf-sheaths loosely enclosing the culms; vegetative shoot blades usually loosely conduplicate, sometimes flat, deep green, not glaucous, abaxial surfaces more or less uniformly scabridulous or roughened, ribs hispid or pilose; cauline blades 2-4 mm wide, usually flat or loosely conduplicate; abaxial sclerenchyma in small strands; adaxial sclerenchyma sometimes present. Inflorescences 10-25 cm, often open, lax, secund or partially secund, often partially included in the uppermost leaf-sheaths at maturity; branches scabrous. Spikelets 9-14 mm, oblong, with (4) 5-8 (10) florets, mostly deep green or glaucous. Glumes ovatelanceolate to lanceolate, acute to acuminate; lower glumes 3.5-6 mm; upper glumes 5.5-8.5 mm; lemmas 6-9 mm, attenuate in side view, usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent, usually mostly smooth, margins and apices scabrous, sometimes almost completely scabrous, deep green or the margins violet, sometimes glaucous, occasionally pubescent, apices awned, awns 2.5-4.5 mm; anthers 2.5-3.5 mm. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Festuca rubra subsp. aucta is a coastal taxon, growing above the high tide line in the sand of stabilized sand dunes, beaches, etc., or in silt deposits. Its range extends along the Pacific coast from the Kamchatka Peninsula through the Aleutian Islands, Queen Charlotte Islands, and Vancouver Island and the adjacent continental coastline. Festuca pseudovivipara (p. 41S) has been described as a form of F. rubra subsp. aucta, but differs from that taxon in having pseudcviviparous spikelets. It is also ecologically, altitudinally, and probably reproductively isolated from F. rubra subsp. aucta.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

70 +, 56 +, 42 +  and 28 +
pubescent +, scabrous +  and glabrous +
roughened +  and scabridulous +
membranous +  and scarious +
pubescent +  and scabrous +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
hispidulous +
bidentate +
Stephen J. Darbyshire +  and Leon E. Pavlickf +
(V.I. Krecz. & Bobrov) Hulten +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
keeled +  and rounded +
swelling +
convolute +  and conduplicate +
not deciduous +  and deciduous +
not evident +
flat +, convolute +  and setaceous +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
spreading;erect +
pubescent +, scabrous +  and glabrous +
spikelike +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
stoloniferous +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br />) +
not woody +
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. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
5 +  and 8 +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
ovatelanceolate +  and lanceolate acute +
unequal +  and subequal +
not persistent +
antrorse +  and retrorse +
uncinate +
secund +, lax +  and open +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
1-7(9)-veined +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
attenuate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
coriaceous +, chartaceous +  and membranous +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
violet +  and green +
pubescent +  and glaucous +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
with hispidulous apices +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
spikelike +
dry +  and fleshy +
glabrous +, pubescent +  and scabrous +
5 +  and 7 +
1 +  and 60 +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Festuca rubra subsp. aucta +
Festuca rubra +
subspecies +
membranous +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br />) +
parallel +  and converging +
obscure +  and prominent +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +