Poaceae
Scolochloa

Scolochloa festucacea (Willd.) Link

First published in Hort. Berol. 1: 136 (1827)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. & E. Central Europe to Mongolia, Subarctic America to W. Central & N. Central U.S.A. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the subalpine or subarctic biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; fleshy. Culms erect; 100-150 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2-6 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades 15-30 cm long; 5-10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; 15-25 cm long. Panicle branches angular; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 3-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose. Floret callus hairs 0.1-0.2 length of lemma.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose. Floret callus hairs 0.1-0.2 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4-5.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 5-6 mm long; 0.75-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 6 mm long; scarious; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or granulose. Lemma apex erose; acute. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China. North America: Subarctic, western Canada, northwest USA, and north-central USA.
Reference
Poeae. WDC.
[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]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/167866/21251696

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19618896/19621216

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. 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 2024. 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