FNA 2007, USDA, Field Guide to Forest & Mtn. Plants of N AZ 2009

Common Name: hard fescue Duration: Perennial Nativity: Non-native Lifeform: Graminoid General: Densely tufted perennial, semi-erect, stems 20-75 cm tall, with long, broad leaves and a contracted panicle. Vegetative: Blades folded together, 1 mm wide, with 3-7 distinct ribs; stems 20-75 cm, with sheaths closed less than 1/3 their length, usually glabrous; ligules < 1 mm. Inflorescence: Panicle 3-13 cm long, contracted, with 1-2 erect branches per node, lower branches with 2 or more spikelets; spikelets 5-9 mm long with 3-8 florets; glumes slightly shorter than upper florets, mostly smooth, 2-5 mm long; lemmas usually smooth on lower portion and scabrous distally, 4-5 mm long, with awns <1-2 mm long, usually shorter than half the length of the lemma; anthers 2-3 mm long; ovary apices glabrous. Ecology: Found in open forests, rocky slopes, roadsides, and disturbed areas at 2600-12,000 ft. (790-3700 m); flowers May-August. Distribution: California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Wyoming, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and all states east except Arkansas and Florida. Notes: F. trachyphylla has been labeled incorrectly as other other species, such as F. ovina. F. ovina is similar to F. trachyphylla, but its leaves are longer and broader and have 1-3 indistinct ribs, and its sheaths are closed for half the length. F. trachyphylla has an extensive root system. Ethnobotany: Is used for soil stabilization and for plant cover in recreation areas. Etymology: Festuca is Latin for grass stalk or straw, while trachyphylla means rough-leaved. Editor: LKearsley, 2012

Much like no. 9 [Festuca ovina L.]; blades scabrid, 0.6-1.2 mm wide, (3)5(7)-ribbed, the sclerenchyma forming a continuous or interrupted band of uneven thickness; spikelets 7-10 mm, 4-8-fld, the lemmas 3.8-5.5 mm; anthers 2.5-3 mm; 2n=28, 42. Native of Europe, weedy and widely intr. in our range. (F. duriuscula and F. longifolia, both misapplied; F. brevipila)

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

This species prefers sandy soil and has been found in several places in open woodland and waste places.

......

Indiana Coefficient of Conservatism: C =null, non-native

Wetland Indicator Status: FACU