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Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) R. P. Murray

Overview
General Information
ID Info
Similar Species
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Family :

Famille :

Poaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Festuca ovina L. subvar. trachyphylla Hack.                     (eFloras 2022; USDA-ARS 2022)
Festuca brevipila R. Tracey                                               (CFIA 2021; USDA-ARS 2022)
Festuca ovina L. var. duriuscula auct. N. Amer.                (USDA-ARS 2022)
Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Krajina                                (Barkworth et al. 2007; USDA-AMS 2022)
Festuca duriuscula hort. (Wiersema and León 1999)
Festuca longifolia auct. pl. (Wiersema and León 1999)

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Hard fescue

(English) (Wiersema and León 1999; CFIA 2021; AOSA 2022; USDA-AMS 2022; USDA-ARS 2022; USDA-NRCS 2022)

Fétuque à feuilles rudes (French) (USDA-ARS 2022)

Fétuque dressée à feuilles scabres (French) (Barkworth et al. 2007)

Cao fu yang mao (草稃羊茅) (Chinese) (eFloras 2022)

Festuca trachyphylla florets, various views

  • Festuca trachyphylla florets, various views

  • Festuca trachyphylla floret, palea view

  • Festuca trachyphylla floret, side view

  • Festuca trachyphylla floret, lemma view

  • Festuca trachyphylla floret, rachilla

  • Festuca trachyphylla floret, palea (close-up view)

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Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

    Regulation Notes:

    Distribution :

    Répartition :

    Festuca trachyphylla is native to middle, eastern, and southeastern Europe (USDA-ARS 2022). The species has been introduced and become naturalized in many temperate parts of the world (Wiersema and León 1999; Barkworth et al. 2007; USDA-ARS 2022).

    Habitat and Crop Association :

    Habitat et Cultures Associées :

    Native Festuca trachyphylla is found on sunny slopes, in open forests and forest edge habitats (Wiersema and León 1999; Barkworth et al. 2007; Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007).

    Economic Use, cultivation area, and Weed Association :

    Utilisation économique, zone de culture et association de mauvaises herbes :

    Festuca trachyphylla is a cool season, perennial, bunchgrass planted for soil improvement and erosion control along roadsides, pipelines, and mine tailings, for golf course roughs, as an orchard and vineyard cover crop, and as a low maintenance turf (Alderson and Sharp 1995; Barkworth et al. 2007; eFloras 2022).

    Weed species of primary concern in Oregon F. trachyphylla seed production fields include Bromus tectorum (downy brome), Poa annua (annual bluegrass), and Vulpia myuros (rattail fescue) (Alderman et al. 2011).

    Duration of Life Cycle :

    Durée du cycle vital:

    Perennial

    Dispersal Unit Type :

    Type d’unité de dispersion :

    Floret

    General Information

    RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

    Festuca trachyphylla belongs to a group of Festuca species generally referred to as fine fescues sold for used in turfgrass systems under a variety of environmental conditions (Braun et al. 2020). Festuca trachyphylla is a cool-season non-rhizomatous bunchgrass found in its native ranges and grown commercially for lawn, turf, and erosion control (Alderson and Sharp 1995; Barkworth et al. 2007; Braun et al. 2020). Other fine fescues sold in commercial channels include Festuca filiformis (hair fescue), F. heterophylla (various-leaved fescue), F. ovina (sheep fescue), F. rubra subsp. rubra and F. rubra subsp. littoralis are sold under the common names of red fescue or creeping red fescue, and F. rubra subsp. commutata (Chewings fescue) (Alderson and Sharp 1995; Braun et al. 2020; CFIA 2021; AOSA 2022; USDA-AMS 2022). Overlapping morphological characters in florets and caryopses among the fine fescue group can make identification difficult.

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    Identification

    Identification

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    • Spikelet

      Size

      • Spikelet length: 5 – 9 (10.8) mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).

      Additional spikelet size from literature:

      • Spikelet length 6.8 – 7.2 mm long (Tutin et al. 1980)
      • Spikelet length 5.5 – 10 mm (eFloras 2022).

      Shape

      • Spikelet oblong oval shaped.

      Surface Texture

      • Spikelet usually smooth, sometimes with short stiff hairs or long soft hairs.

      Colour

      • Spikelet yellowish-brown.

      Other Features

      Spikelet composition

      • Spikelet composed of 3 – 8 similar looking florets with distal floret usually sterile and slightly smaller in size (Tutin et al. 1980; Barkworth et al. 2007; eFloras 2022).

      Spikelet composition from literature:

      • Spikelet with 3 – 4 florets (Tutin et al. 1980).
      • Spikelet with 3 – 7 (8) florets (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Spikelet with 4 – 8 florets (eFloras 2022).

      Glumes

      • Glumes narrowly teardrop-shaped (lanceolate).
      • Lower glume length (1.8) 2 – 3.5 (4) mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Upper glume length: 3 – 5.5 mm (eFloras 2022).
      • Glumes usually smooth, sometimes with short stiff hairs or soft hairs near tip.

      Glume measurements from literature:

      • Upper glume length 3.4 mm; width 1.4 mm (Tutin et al. 1980).
      • Upper glume length: 3 – 5 (5.5) mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Lower glume length: 2 – 4 mm (eFloras 2022).

      Disarticulation

      • Disarticulation of the spikelet occurs generally above the glumes and between the florets at the rachilla nodes.

    • Floret

      Size

      • Floret length*: 3.6 – 4.9 mm (average 4.4 mm); width*: 0.8 – 1.0 mm (average 0.9 mm).
      • Rachilla length*: 0.7 – 0.9 mm (average 0.8 mm).
      • Awn length*: 0.7 – 2.4 mm (average 1.6 mm).
      *Note: minimum and maximum based on 10 florets in normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23326

      Size measurements from literature:

      • Lemma length: 4.3 mm; width: 3.0 mm; awn one-quarter to one-third the length of lemma (Tutin et al. 1980).
      • Lemma length: 3.8 – 5.0 (6.5) mm; awn 0.5 – 2.5 (3.0) mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Floret length: 4.3 – 4.9 mm; width: 0.7 – 0.8 mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007).
      • Lemma length: 3.8 – 5.5 mm; awn 0.5 – 2.5 mm (eFloras 2022).

      Shape

      • Floret narrowly teardrop-shaped (lanceolate), dorsal-ventrally compressed to slightly in-rolled on palea side, lemma not keeled.

      Surface Texture

      • Lemma and palea papery.

      Colour

      • Floret yellowish-brown.

      Other Features

      Lemma

      • Lemma tapering to a narrow point and extending into an awn.
      • Lemma wrapping around to cover margins of the palea but leaving palea keels mostly exposed.
      • Lemma usually smooth or with short stiff hairs in upper half, rarely hairy all over.

      Awn

      • Awned from tip of lemma.

      Callus

      • Callus is a thick rounded ridge on the lemma side.

      Rachilla

      • Rachilla straight, thin, cylindrical, flared at tip; smooth to sparsely long hairy.

      Palea

      • Nearly equal to length of lemma.
      • Palea keels two, in-rolled, central palea sunken.
      • Palea between keels granular, sparsely hairy in upper third and especially near tip.
      • Palea translucent and the dark caryopsis is visible behind the palea.

      Festuca trachyphylla florets, various views

    • Caryopsis

      Size

      • Caryopsis length*: 2.5 – 3.8 mm (average 3.2 mm); caryopsis width: 0.8 – 0.9 mm) (average 0.9 mm).
      • Hilum length*: 1.8 – 2.7 mm (average 2.4 mm), hilum about three-quarters the length of caryopsis.
      Note:* Minimum and maximum of caryopsis and hilum based on five caryopses in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-57398.

      Shape

      • The caryopsis is narrowly oblong-oval, pointed at embryo end, dorsal-ventrally compressed, slightly in-rolled forming a longitudinal groove on the hilum side.

      Surface Texture

      • Caryopsis surface is smooth to slightly rough, dull to slightly shiny. Apex of caryopsis without hairs.

      Colour

      • Caryopsis is reddish-brown coloured.

      Other Features

      • The hilum is linear and located in a longitudinal depression.
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    • Embryo

      Size

      • Embryo length*: 0.4 – 0.8 mm (average 0.6 mm).
      • The embryo about one-fifth the length of the caryopsis*.
      Note:* Minimum and maximum of caryopsis and hilum based on five caryopses in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-57398.

      Shape

      • Oval to teardrop-shaped

      Endosperm

      • Endosperm solid (Terrell 1971).

      Other Features

      • Embryo position lateral (Martin 1946).

    Identification Tips

    CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

    Florets of Festuca trachyphylla are similar to those of other Festuca species sold commercially for lawn, turf, and erosion control. Caution should be used when attempting to identify florets and caryopses from commercial seed lots as many diagnostic features may be damaged or removed during seed conditioning. General characteristics of this group of Festuca species are discussed in the similar species section of this factsheet.

    Festuca trachyphylla floret, palea view

    Additional Botany Information

    AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

    Flowers/Inflorescence

    • The inflorescence is a contracted panicle with branches upright or stiffly spreading, generally 3 – 13 cm long (Barkworth et al. 2007; eFloras 2022).
    • Anther length: (1.8) 2.3 – 3.4 mm (Barkworth et al. 2007; eFloras 2022).
    • Ovary apex without hairs (Barkworth et al. 2007; eFloras 2022).

    Vegetative Features

    • The plants of F. trachyphylla are densely tufted and non-rhizomatous, stems mostly up to 75 cm tall, smooth, with or without sparse hairs (Barkworth et al. 2007; Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007; eFloras 2022).
    • Leaf sheaths smooth, usually without hairs; leaf blades usually in-rolled, rarely flat (Barkworth et al. 2007).

    Similar Species

    ESPÈCES SEMBLABLES

    Similar species are based on a study of seed morphology of various species, and those with similar dispersal units are identified. The study is limited by physical specimen and literature availability at the time of examination, and possibly impacted by the subjectivity of the authors based on their knowledge and experience. Providing similar species information for seed identification is to make users aware of similarities that could possibly result in misidentification.

    Florets and caryopses in this group of taxa have many similar morphological features, some of which can make them indistinguishable.

    The general floret shape among all the similar species is narrowly teardrop-shaped (lanceolate), dorsal-ventrally compressed and slightly in-rolled on the palea side; the lemma tapers to a narrow point that usually extends into an awn. The awn is fragile and easily broken, especially in commercial seed lots so florets may appear to be awnless. The lemma wraps around to cover the margins of the palea, but usually leaves the palea keels exposed. Floret sizes within the spikelet are usually larger near the base of the spikelet and get smaller toward the tip of the spikelet. Floret size ranges among the similar species overlap; however, F. rubra and F. heterophylla tend to be longer and wider than florets of F. ovina and F. trachyphylla, and florets of F. filiformis are the smallest in this group.

    The papery lemmas and paleas are about the same colour among the similar species as they are represented by various shades of yellowish-brown and are sometimes tinged with purple or green shading. The lemmas can be smooth to hairy.

    For this group of species, the palea is nearly equal in length to the lemma, the two palea keels are in-rolled, and the central part of the palea is recessed in the lower half. The palea is a bit more translucent than the lemma and the dark caryopsis is visible through the palea in mature florets. According to Musil (1963), in F. trachyphylla the palea appears to be more opaque than F. ovina; it may be possible to identify bulk samples of these two species, but the individual seeds appear to be indistinguishable.

    The caryopses within this group of similar species are narrowly oblong-oval and pointed at the embryo end, dorsal-ventrally compressed and slightly in-rolled forming a longitudinal groove on the hilum side. Surface texture of the caryopses are smooth to slightly rough, dull to slightly shiny. In this group the tip of the caryopsis (end opposite the embryo) is not hairy, except in F. heterophylla the tip of the caryopsis is hairy. The embryo is about one-fifth the length of the caryopsis and is in the lateral position (Martin 1946). The hilum is long and linear and about three-fourths the length of the caryopsis. The endosperm is described as solid (Terrell 1971).

    The separation of similar looking seeds of Festuca rubra and F. trachyphylla may be achieved by the root fluorescence test, in which young seedlings are sprayed with an ammonium hydroxide solution and roots of F. rubra will appear yellow and roots of F. trachyphylla will appear green under ultraviolet light (AOSA 2009).

    Refer to the comparison chart for morphological differences among the similar species. The size measurements provided in the comparison table are based on seed herbarium material located at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (specimens accession numbers are provided for each species).

     

    Festuca filiformis Pourr.
    [Festuca capillata Lam.; F. tenuifolia Sibth.]
    Hair fescue, fine-leaf sheep fescue, fine-leaved fescue, slender fescue

    Note:* minimum and maximum sizes are based on 12 florets and five caryopses in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23358.

     

    Festuca heterophylla Lam.
    [Festuca rubra L. var. heterphylla (Lam.) Mutel]
    Various-leaved fescue, shade fescue

    Note:* minimum and maximum sizes are based on 13 florets and one caryopsis in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23305.

     

    Festuca ovina L.
    Sheep fescue

    Note:* minimum and maximum sizes are based on 10 florets and eight caryopses in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23351, CDA-S-23357.

     

    Festuca rubra L. subsp. commutata Markgr.-Dann.
    [Festuca nigrescens Lam.; Festuca rubra L. subsp. fallax auct.]
    Chewings fescue, Chewing’s fescue

    *Note: minimum and maximum sizes are based on combined five samples with a random selection of 36 florets and 22 caryopses in normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23403, CDA-S-23384, CDA-S-23415

     

    Festuca rubra L. subsp. rubra
    [Festuca rubra L. var. rubra]
    Red fescue, creeping red fescue

    *Note: minimum and maximum based on a combined five samples with a random selection of 60 florets and nine caryopsis in normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23411, CDA-S-23396, CDA-S-23410, CDA-S-23387, CDA-S-57406.

    Comparison Table of Similar Species.

    F. trachyphylla F. rubra subsp. rubra F. rubra subsp. commutata F. filiformis F. heterophylla F. ovina
    Floret length (mm)* 3.6 – 4.9 3.4 – 7.7 4.0 – 6.6 2.2 – 3.7 4.1 – 6.3 4.0 – 5.7
    Floret width (mm)* 0.8 – 1.0 0.7 – 1.3 0.7 – 1.1 0.6 – 0.9 0.8 – 1.0 0.7 – 1.1
    Lemma awn length (mm)* 0.7 – 2.4 0.3 – 2.9 0.4 – 2.4 Unawned or very short awn, 0.1 – 0.7 0.6 – 2.9 1.0 – 4.0
    Lemma surface texture Lemma usually smooth or with short stiff hairs in upper half, rarely hairy all over. Lemma smooth or covered with short stiff or soft hairs especially in upper half. Lemma smooth or sparsely hairy. Lemma usually smooth or with short stiff or soft hairs near tip and along margins. Lemma usually smooth, sometimes with short hairs near tip or long hairy in the upper two-thirds. Lemma mostly smooth or with short stiff hairs near tip or sometimes hairy in upper two-thirds.
    Callus Thick ridge. Blunt with a thick rounded ridge on the lemma side. Blunt with a thick rounded ridge on the lemma side. Thin ridge, thicker in the center and appearing slightly curved. Plump ridge, thicker in the center and appearing slightly curved. Thick ridge, blunt base.
    Rachilla Rachilla smooth to sparsely long hairy.

     

    		 Rachilla smooth or covered with short hairs. Rachilla smooth or covered with short hairs.

     

    		 Rachilla smooth or hairy. Rachilla smooth or sparsely long hairy. Rachilla smooth to sparsely long hairy.

     
    Palea Palea surface granular, area between palea keels hairy near tip; keel hairs (palea teeth) along upper one-third of keels short and stiff. Palea Palea surface granular, tuft of short soft hairs near tip; keel hairs (palea teeth) short and stiff. Palea surface granular, tuft of short soft hairs near tip; keel hairs (palea teeth) short and stiff. Palea surface granular, area between the palea keels smooth or with short hairs near the tip; keel hairs (palea teeth) lacking or short and widely spaced. Palea surface granular, area between palea keels hairy near tip; keel hairs (palea teeth) along upper two-thirds of keels short and stiff and widely spaced.
    Caryopsis length (mm)* 2.5 – 3.8 2.9 – 4.1 2.4 – 3.8 1.6 – 1.9 2.9 2.1 – 3.1
    Caryopsis width (mm)* 0.8 – 0.9 0.8 – 1.0 0.6 – 1.0 0.7 – 0.8 0.6 0.5 – 0.7
    Caryopsis apex Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy.
    Caryopsis other features Hilum linear, about ¾ the length of caryopsis Hilum linear, about ¾ the length of caryopsis. Hilum linear, about ¾ the length of caryopsis. Hilum linear, about 4/5 the length of caryopsis. Hilum linear, about ¾ the length of caryopsis. Hilum linear, about ¾ the length of caryopsis.

     

    *Minimum and maximum measurement of structures in a normal range of these species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020).

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    Reference(s)

    Référence(s)

    Alderman, S. C., Elias, S. G., Hulting, A. G. 2011. Occurrence and trends of weed seed contaminants in fine fescue seed lots in Oregon. Seed Technology 33(1):7 – 21.

    Alderson, J. & W. C. Sharp. 1995. Grass varieties in the United States, U.S.D.A. Agric. Handbook 170, rev. ed. CRC Press.

    Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). 2009. Cultivar Purity Testing Handbook: Contribution No. 33 to the Handbook on Seed Testing. Association of Official Seed Analysts.

    Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). 2022. Rules for Testing Seeds, Vol. 3: Uniform Classification of Weed and Crop Seeds. Association of Official Seed Analysts, Washington D. C.

    Barkworth, M. E., Capels, K. M., Long, S. and Piep, M. B. (eds.). 2007. Flora of North America Volume 24. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York, New York.

    Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of Seeds and Fruits of Central and East-European Flora: The Carpathian Mountains Region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

    Braun, R. C., Patton, A. J., Watkins, E., Koch, P. L., Anderson, N. P., Bonos, S. A., Brilman, L. A. 2020. Fine fescues: A review of the species, their improvement, production, establishment, and management. Crop Science 60:1142-1187. DOI:10.1002/csc2.20122

    CFIA. 2021. Canadian Methods and Procedures for Testing Seeds (M&P). Version 1.1, English. Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

    eFloras. 2022. Flora of China. Festuca rubra. efloras.org Accessed May 23, 2022.

    International Seed Morphology Association (ISMA). 2020. Method for seed size measurement. Version 1.0. ISMA Publication Guide. https://www.idseed.org/authors/details/method_for_seed_size_measurement.html.

    Martin, A. C. 1946. The comparative internal morphology of seeds. The American Midland Naturalist 36(3):513-660.

    Musil, A. F. 1963. Identification of Crop and Weed Seeds. Agriculture Handbook No. 219. U. S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, D C.

    Terrell, E. E. 1971. Survey of occurrences of liquid or soft endosperm in grass genera. Bull. Torr. Botan. Club 98(5):264-268.

    Tutin, T. G., Haywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Waters, S. M., Webb, D. A. (Eds.). 1980. Flora Europaea. Volume 5: Alismataceae to Orchidaceae (Monocotyledons). Cambridge University Press.

    United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS). 2022. Federal Seed Act Regulations. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-K/part-201 Accessed November 10, 2022.

    United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service-National Plant Germplasm System (USDA-ARS). 2022. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=300215   Accessed May 23, 2022.

    United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). 2022. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA. http://plants.usda.gov Accessed November 15, 2022

    Wiersema, J. H. and León, B. 1999. World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

    Author(s)

    AUTEUR(S)

    Deborah J. Lionakis Meyer

    California Department of Food and Agriculture (retired)