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:

Agrostis scabra, Picea mariana

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Festuca brachyphylla ssp. brachyphylla is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is somewhat regionally restricted in the province but no threats known or anticipated for this species at the present time.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 30 cm

Roots:

fibrous

Stem:

densely caespitose, smooth, wiry, much taller than leaves

Leaves:

1 – 9 cm long, 0.5 – 1.0 mm wide, involute, stiff, setaceous, smooth

Inflorescence:

panicle 1 – 3 cm long, narrow, spicate, greenish or sometimes purplish

Spikelets:

2 – 4-flowered, disarticulating above the glumes

Florets:

glumes unequal, usually shorter than lemmas, lanceolate; lemmas 2 – 3 mm long, ovate to lanceolate, 5-nerved, membranous, bronze or purplish, scabrous on back; lemma awns 1 – 3 mm long, inserted at the apex; palea about as long as the lemma

Fruits:

caryopsis

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 Plants strongly tufted; stems often over 60 cm tall; spikelets over 10 mm long	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 friable, becoming fibrillose	4
3 Plants tufted; lower sheaths chartaceous, persistent	5

4 Lemmas 6 – 7.5 mm long, apex scabrous	F. rubra ssp. rubra
4 Lemmas 4.5 – 6 mm long, densely pilose or otherwise pubescent, at least in part	F. richardsonii

5 Plants usually less than 20 cm tall; panicle about 3 cm long, dense, purplish	F. brachyphylla ssp. brachyphylla
5 Plants greater than 30 cm tall; panicle greater than 5 cm long, may be interrupted, yellowish, if purplish, plants over 50 cm tall	6

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