Schedonorus pratensis (Huds.) P. Beauv.
meadow fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
meadow fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems erect, to 130 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth; blades flat, folded or in-rolled in young shoots, 2-7 mm wide; ear-shaped lobes at the leaf-bases sickle-shaped (sometimes obscure or absent), smooth; ligules 0.2-0.4 (0.5) mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open or contracted, simple panicle, (6) 10-25 cm long; spikelets (2-) 4- to 10- (12-) flowered, stalked, (8.5) 12-15.5 (17) mm long, each with 2 glumes; lower glumes (2) 2.6-4.5 mm long, upper glumes 3-5 mm long; lemmas 5-8 mm long, smooth or slightly rough near the tips, unawned or awned, the awns short, sharp, abrupt points up to 0.2 mm long; anthers (1.5) 2-4.6 mm long.
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 Schedonorus pratensis
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) |
482 | 61 | 1080 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
19 | 0 | 70 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
175 | 120 | 244 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
7 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(2), CWH(3), IDF(1), PP(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic pastures, fields, meadows, roadsides and disturbed areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SC BC; rare in EC and SW BC; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Festuca pratensis
Lolium pratense (Hudson) Darbyshire