Festuca subulata Trin.
bearded fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
bearded fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, loosely tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems 35-120 cm tall, with visible nodes.
Leaves:
Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the stems, shredding into fibres towards the end of the growing season; blades 10-30 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, flat, lax; ligules 0.2-0.7 (1) mm long, fringed.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open panicle, (10) 15-30 (40) cm long, the branches 6-10 (15) cm long; spikelets 3- to 4- (6-) flowered, 6-11 (12) mm long; lower glumes (1.8) 2-3.2 (4) mm long, the upper ones (2) 3.5-5.5 (6) mm long; lemmas (5) 6-7.5 (8.8) mm long, awned, the awns (2.5) 5-10 (17) mm long, sometimes curving but not crinkled; anthers 1.5-2.8 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:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Festuca subulata
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) |
208 | 0 | 1970 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
11 | 0 | 119 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | 10 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 1 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
444 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CDF(137), CWH(240), ESSF(4), ICH(5), IDF(3), MH(1), MS(1), SBS(8) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic streambanks, meadows, forests and forest openings in the lowland and montane zones; frequent in SW BC and the Queen Charlotte Islands, infrequent east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains N to 57 degrees N; N to SW AK, E to W AB and S to UT, NV and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Festuca subulata subsp. subulata