Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca auriculata Drobow

First published in Trudy Bot. Muz. Imp. Akad. Nauk 14: 159 (1915)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Subarctic. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

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]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms 8-13 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5-0.75 of their length closed; wider than blade at the collar; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.5-1.5 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades curved; filiform; conduplicate; elliptic in section; 4-10 cm long; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5-7 vascular bundles; with 3 subepidermal sclerenchyma strands. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; pubescent; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; linear; 2-3 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 3-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-8 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; 3 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough above. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4 mm long; 0.8-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 4-5 mm long; chartaceous; light green; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2-2.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Europe: eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia and Soviet far east.
Reference
Poeae. Fl USSR 1995.
[GB]

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

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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 2025. 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