Festuca viridula

Vasey
Common names: Mountain bunchgrass Greenleaf fescue Green fescue
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 440.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants loosely or densely cespitose, without rhizomes. Culms 35-80 (100) cm, smooth, glabrous throughout; nodes usually not exposed. Sheaths closed for less than 1/2 their length, usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent, strongly reined, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers; collars glabrous; ligules (0.2) 0.3-0.8 (1) mm; blades 0.5-1.3 mm in diameter when conduplicate, to 2.5 mm wide when flat, persistent, abaxial surfaces glabrous and smooth, adaxial surfaces scabrous or pubescent, veins 5-9 (12), ribs 5-9, blades of the lower cauline leaves usually reduced to stiff horny points, blades of the upper cauline leaves longer and more flexuous; abaxial sclerenchyma in strands about as wide as the adjacent veins; adaxial sclerenchyma developed; pillars and girders often present. Inflorescences (4) 8-15 cm, open or somewhat contracted, with 1-2 branches per node; branches lax, spreading or loosely erect, lower branches with 2+ spikelets. Spikelets 9-15 mm, with (2) 3-6 (7) florets. Glumes exceeded by the upper florets, ovatelanceolate to lanceolate, glabrous, smooth or scabridulous distally; lower glumes (2.4) 2.8-5 mm, distinctly shorter than the adjacent lemmas; upper glumes 4.5-7 (8.5) mm; lemmas (4.8) 6-8.5 mm, lanceolate to ovatelanceolate, glabrous, smooth or slightly scabrous, apices acute, unawned or awned, awns 0.2-1.5 (2) mm; paleas about as long as the lemmas, intercostal region scabrous or puberulent distally; anthers (2) 2.5-4 (5) mm; ovary apices densely pubescent. 2n = 28.

Distribution

Wash., B.C., Calif., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Nev.

Discussion

Festuca viridula grows in low alpine and subalpine meadows, forest openings, and open forests, at (900)1500-3000 m, from southern British Columbia east to Montana and south to central California and Nevada. It is highly palatable to livestock, and is an important forage species in some areas.

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 viridula"
membranous +  and scarious +
pubescent +  and scabrous +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
hispidulous +
Stephen J. Darbyshire +  and Leon E. Pavlickf +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
keeled +  and rounded +
swelling +
flexuous +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br />) +
persistent +
not evident +
flat +, convolute +  and setaceous +
reduced +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
erect;spreading +
spikelike +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
Mountain bunchgrass +, Greenleaf fescue +  and Green fescue +
not branching +
ascending +  and erect +
35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
not woody +
Wash. +, B.C. +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Oreg. +  and Nev. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
3 +  and 6 +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
ovatelanceolate +  and lanceolate +
unequal +  and subequal +
persisting +
uncinate +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
puberulent +  and scabrous +
1-7(9)-veined +
awned +  and entire +
lanceolate +  and ovatelanceolate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br />) +
coriaceous +, chartaceous +  and membranous +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
2 +  and 1 +
with hispidulous apices +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
spikelike +
dry +  and fleshy +
glabrous +, pubescent +  and scabrous +
5 +  and 9 +
slowly +  and persistent +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
1 +  and 60 +
compressed +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Festuca viridula +
Festuca sect. Festuca +
species +
membranous +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
obscure +  and prominent +
5 (?) +  and 9 (?) +
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +