Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca maritima L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 75 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Europe to Medit. and W. Himalaya. 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 erect, or decumbent; 3-45 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5-1 mm long; entire, or lacerate; truncate. Leaf-blades conduplicate, or convolute; 1-5 cm long; 0.5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 1-16 cm long; simple, or secondarily branched. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; 0.7-1.6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 4-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4-8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 4-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4-8 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; 1.5-3.5 mm long; 0.5-0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3-5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 3-5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0-12 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.7-1.3(-1.9) mm long; eventually exserted. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; sulcate on hilar side. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.5 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Poeae. Fl Iraq.
[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