Festuca altaica Trin.
altai fescue (northern rough fescue)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
altai fescue (northern rough fescue)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Species Information
General:
Perennial, densely tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems (25) 30-90 (120) cm tall, the nodes not visible.
Leaves:
Sheaths conspicuous at the base of the stems, persisting for more than 1 year, remaining entire, not conspicuously splitting between the nerves; blades (4) 10-30 (45) cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat or folded; ligules 0.2-0.6 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open panicle, 5-16 cm long, the branches (3) 5-13 cm long often with the flowers and branches borne on one side of the axis, the lower branches weak, to 10 cm long, often reflexed and to one side; spikelets strongly purplish-bronze with a sheen, 8-14 mm long, 3- to 4- (6-) flowered; lower glumes (4) 4.2-6.8 (8.3) mm long, the upper ones (4.5) 5.3-7.5 (10) mm long; lemmas (6.5) 7.5-9 (12) mm long, the margins translucent, awned, the awns 0.2-0.7 mm long; anthers 2.6-4.5 (5) mm long; ovary tops hairy.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Festuca altaica
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1523 | 160 | 2380 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
19 | 0 | 300 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
185 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1445 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BAFA | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(56), BAFA(430), BG(3), BWBS(154), ESSF(214), ICH(3), IDF(11), IMA(6), MH(11), MS(74), PP(7), SBPS(5), SBS(3), SWB(384) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry meadows, grasslands, shrublands, rocky slopes and forest openings from the montane (N BC) to alpine zones; common in BC in and east of the Coast Mountains, S to 51 degrees N; amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT, E to AB, disjunct to PQ and NF and S to N MI; E Asia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Festuca altaica subsp. scabrella (Torr. ex Hook.) Hultén
Festuca altaica var. scabrella (Torr. ex Hook.) Breitung
Festuca scabrella Torr. ex Hook.