Festuca occidentalis Hook.
western fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
western fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, densely tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems (25) 45-110 cm tall, with visible nodes.
Leaves:
Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the stems, remaining entire, not shredding into fibres; blades (5) 10-20 (40) cm long, 0.4-0.7 mm wide, tightly folded, hairlike; ligules 0.1-0.4 (0.5) mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a loose, often drooping, panicle, 5-20 cm long, the branches (1) 2-10 cm long; spikelets 2- to 5- (7-) flowered, 6-12 mm long; lower glumes 2-5 mm long, the upper ones 3-6 mm long; lemmas 4-7 (8) mm long; awned, the awns 3-12 mm long; anthers (1) 1.7-3 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
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Festuca occidentalis
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) |
910 | 9 | 2294 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
22 | 0 | 240 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
207 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
2320 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(3), BWBS(9), CDF(81), CMA(2), CWH(206), ESSF(117), ICH(388), IDF(458), MH(3), MS(225), PP(28), SBPS(90), SBS(610), SWB(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry meadows, rocky slopes, clearings and open forests in the lowland and montane zones; frequent in BC south of 56 degrees N, infrequent northward to 57 degrees N; E to SW AB, disjunct to ON and S to MI, WI, WY, UT and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Festuca ovina var. polyphylla Vasey ex Beal