Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca earlei Rydb.

First published in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 32: 608 (1905)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Central U.S.A. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Rootstock evident. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms slender; 30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths 3-5 cm long; striately veined; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 3-10 cm long; 0.5-1 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; linear; 3-5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle branches smooth. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 3 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5-1 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Distribution
North America: northwest USA.
Reference
Poeae. Rydberg 2004.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0