Species: Festuca brachyphylla ssp. brachyphylla J.A. Schultes ex J.A. & J.H. Schultes

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Festuca brachyphylla ssp. brachyphylla J.A. Schultes ex J.A. & J.H. Schultes

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Poaceae

Genus:

Festuca

Species Synonyms:

Festuca brevifolia R.Br., non Muhl.
Festuca ovina var. alpina (Gaudin.) W.D.J. Koch
Festuca ovina var. borealis Lange
Festuca ovina var. brachyphylla (J.A. Schultes ex J.A. & J.H. Schultes) Piper ex A.S. Hitchc.

Common Names:

alpine fescue
short-leaf fescue

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon – Mackenzie – Arctic Islands, south to southern British Columbia – southwestern Alberta – northern Saskatchewan – northern Manitoba – northern Ontario – central and eastern Quebec – Newfoundland

Saskatchewan:

northern Saskatchewan; Lake Athabasca – Carswell Lake – Cluff Lake

Ecoregion:

Athabasca Plain, Tazin Lake Upland, Selwyn Lake Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

exposed gravel or rocky shores and open woods

Associated Species:

black spruce, ticklegrass

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Alpine fescue is threatened because or rarity in Saskatchewan. It is somewhat regionally restricted in the province nut mo threats known or anticipated for this species at the present time.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 30 cm

Roots:

fibrous

Stem:

densely tufted, smooth, wiry, much taller than leaves

Leaves:

1 – 9 cm long, 0.5 – 1.0 mm wide, inrolled, stiff, bristle-like, smooth

Inflorescence:

branched, 1 – 3 cm long, narrow, spike-like, greenish or sometimes purplish

Spikelets:

2 – 4-flowered, separating above the glumes

Florets:

glumes unequal, usually shorter than lemmas, lance-shaped; lemmas 2 – 3 mm long, oval to lance-shaped, 5-nerved, membranous, bronze or purplish, rough-hairy on back; lemma awns 1 – 3 mm long, inserted at the tip; palea about as long as the lemma

Fruits:

grain

FESTUCA KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Lemmas awnless or with a short awn less than 1.5 mm long; plants taller than 40 cm	2
1 Lemmas awn usually at least 2 mm long; plants usually shorter than 40 cm (except F. idahoensis ssp. idahoensis)	3

2 Large shrub; leaflets lobed, less than 3 cm long; fruits red and hairy	F. altaica
2 Plants less strongly tufted, somewhat rhizomatous; stems 20 – 60 cm tall; spikelets 7 – 8 mm long	F. hallii

3 Plants rhizomatous; lower sheaths shredding, becoming fibrous	4
3 Plants tufted; lower sheaths dry and membranous, persistent	5

4 Lemmas 6 – 7.5 mm long, tip rough-hairy	F. rubra ssp. rubra
4 Lemmas 4.5 – 6 mm long, densely long-hairy or otherwise hairy at least in part	F. richardsonii

5 Plants less than 20 cm tall; inflorescence about 3 cm long, dense, purplish	F. brachyphylla ssp. brachyphylla
5 Plants greater than 30 cm tall; inflorescence equal to or greater than 5 cm long, may be interrupted, yellowish, if purplish, plants taller than 50 cm	6

6 Plants 30 – 40 cm tall; inflorescence around 5 cm long, yellowish; spikelets 5 – 7-flowered	F. saximontana ssp. saximontana
6 Plants up to 100 cm tall; inflorescence 10 – 20 cm long, purplish or dark green; spikelets 2 – 4-flowered	F. idahoensis ssp. idahoensis