Poaceae
Festuca

Festuca ovina L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 73 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 5-60 cm long; 1-2 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length; without keel; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 3-25 cm long; 0.3-0.6 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation comprising 5-7 vascular bundles. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth, or scaberulous above. Panicle open; lanceolate, or oblong; dense, or loose; 3-12 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending, or spreading. Panicle branches angular; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1-3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 3-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5-10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5-10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2-3 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 3-4 mm long; 0.7-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 3.5-5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5-1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2-2.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north and Macaronesia. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: New Zealand. North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana and western South America.
Reference
Poeae. CEH.
[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]

Common Names

english
sheep's fescue
unknown
sheeps fescue

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • 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 Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Kew's Living Collection Database

  • 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