Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca fasciculata Forssk.

First published in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 22 (1775)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Europe, Medit. to Caucasus. It is an annual 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
Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect, or decumbent; 10-60 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths without keel; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 1-10 cm long; 1-3 mm wide; firm, or flaccid. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; pubescent; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; oblong; secund; 2-12 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle branches angular; scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; 3-7 mm long; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 12-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas; smooth.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 12-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas; smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.2-1.6 mm long; 0.02-0.1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0-1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-14 mm long; 0.9-1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; with membranous margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 4-6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8-16 mm long; chartaceous; keeled; 3-5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 10-25 mm long overall. Palea 0.6-0.7 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets 3-4 in number; barren; in a clump; linear; 2-4 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 6-16 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 1-3; 0.8-1.5 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; hairy at apex. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: northern, southwestern, and southeastern. Africa: north and south. Asia-temperate: western Asia. Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Poeae. CEH.
[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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images