Festuca sororia

FNA 2007, Gould 1980, Kearney and Peebles 1969

Common Name: ravine fescue Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Graminoid General: Loosely tufted perennial, without rhizomes, stems 60-100 cm, erect, glabrous, from hard woody base; sheaths closed for less than one third their length, glabrous or scabrous, shredding into fibers. Vegetative: Blades to 40 cm or longer, 3-6 mm wide, flat, thin, upper and lower surfaces glabrous, with 13-25 veins, obscure ribs; ligules 0.5-1.5 mm. Inflorescence: Panicle 10-20 cm, open to contracted with 1-2 branches per node, loosely flowered, often drooping with slender, curving branches with spikelets borne towards the end of the branches; spikelets 7-12 mm with 3-5 florets, glabrous to scabrous, glumes lanceolate, scabrous on midvein, unequal; lemmas 6-8 mm, lanceolate, awnless or with awn 2 mm or less. Ecology: Found in shaded canyons and along stream banks in moist woods from 7,000-10,500 ft (2134-3200 m); flowers August-October. Notes: This is the only Festuca in the region with broad, flat blades. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Festuca is Latin for grass stalk or straw, while sororia means sisterly or closely related. Synonyms: None Editor: SBuckley, 2010