Festuca viridula Vasey
green fescue (greenleaf fescue)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
green fescue (greenleaf fescue)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
.jpg){kind=link}
Species Information
General:
Perennial, densely tufted grass from fibrous roots, forming small clumps; stems (35) 50-100 cm tall, with visible nodes.
Leaves:
Sheaths not conspicuous at the base of the stems as they tend to turn brown early, remaining entire, not shredding into fibres; blades 10-25 cm long, 0.8-2.5 mm wide, flat or loosely folded; ligules 0.2-0.5 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open panicle, 4-12 (15) cm long, the branches 1.5-3 cm long; spikelets (2-) 3- to 6- (7-) flowered, 9-12 (15) mm long; lower glumes (2.4) 3.5-5 mm long, the upper ones 4.5-6 (7.5) mm long; lemmas (5.5) 6.5-8 mm long, sharp-pointed or awned or awnless, if awned then the awns 0.5-1.4 mm long; anthers (2) 3-4 (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
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Purple
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Festuca viridula
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) |
2082 | 1330 | 2515 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
39 | 5 | 90 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
207 | 7 | 315 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 5 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
39 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ESSF(26), MS(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry meadow slopes in the upper subalpine and alpine zones; infrequent in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains in S BC south of 50 degrees N; E to AB and S to MT and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Festuca howellii Hack. ex Beal