Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca australis Nees ex Steud.

First published in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 304 (1854)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ecuador to N. Argentina. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical 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
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 5-20 cm long. Leaf-sheaths without keel. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3-18 cm long; 0.5-2 mm wide; firm, or flaccid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; exserted. Panicle contracted, or spiciform; linear; 1-5 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 6-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 5-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 6-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 5-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear to lanceolate; 2.5-4 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 4-5 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels. Upper glume apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.7-5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 7-8 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Hilum linear.
Distribution
South America: northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Poeae. Gr. Peru 1999.
[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.
    • 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 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