Rough fescue cover can be severely reduced when burning
occurs during the growing season. On quaking aspen parkland of
southern Alberta, Bailey and Anderson [12] reported a 26% decline
1 year after a spring burn compared to a 6% decline
after a fall burn. Rough fescue cover was reduced for at least
3 years: herbage
production on burned sites remained below production on unburned areas.
New rough fescue growth on burned sites was approximately 4 inches (10 cm) in
height at postfire year 3. In contrast, burning on similar sites immediately
after snowmelt, when leaf growth was approximately 1.5 inches
(4 cm), slightly reduced rough fescue cover but maintained prefire annual production
during postfire year 1.
Generally, plains rough fescue responds
to fire by increased tiller production. Burned swards are
shorter and denser than unburned swards. Apparently the
further into the growing season the burning occurs, the greater
the detrimental effect. Grilz and Romo
[42] reported reduced tillering of plains rough fescue
following spring or fall burns in communities with patchy
smooth brome. Sinton
[91] observed a nearly linear relationship between
herbage production, leaf blade length, and tiller density
following burning 1 week, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after snowmelt.
Drastic reductions in seed production can occur after spring
burns. Bailey and Anderson [12] reported a 92% reduction
in seedstalk production 3 months after a spring burn
in southern Alberta. Following a spring burn in Saskatchewan,
biomass in grasslands dominated by plains rough fescue was
reduced by 72 to 84% [85]. Like many cool-season
grasses, rough fescue initiates floral development in the fall.
Studies of rough fescue indicate that growing points are
gradually elevated during the winter from 0.4 inches (12.6 mm)
above the root crown transition in
October to 1.5 inches (40 cm) in May [55]. Bailey and
Anderson [12] suggest that floral
initiation is not affected by spring burns; but by May, the greater height of reproductive
growing points leaves them them susceptible to
fire damage. Seed
development on burn sites approximated that on unburned stands
within 2 growing seasons. Fall burns had no
effect on subsequent seed head development.
In Montana, rough fescue decreased 17.5% in the 1st season
after fire. During the 2nd growing season after fire,
a 5% reduction was noted when compared to prefire levels [22].
The following densities (stems/m2) were reported for rough fescue following
spring and fall burning in Saskatchewan [42]:
For further information on rough fescue response to fire, see Fire Case Studies.
The following Research Project Summaries provide information on prescribed
fire use and postfire response of plant community species, including rough fescue,
that was not available when this species review was originally
written:
Rough fescue plants are erect, native, cool-season, perennial bunchgrasses that produces thick mats of persistent sheath and stem bases [27]. Culms range from 2 to 3.5 feet (6-10 dm) in height, although plant heights to 5 feet (1.5 m) have been recorded. Leaves are mostly basal with tuft heights generally ranging from 12 to 16 inches (30-40 cm). Rough fescue derives its name from the rough feel of the leaf blade, rachis, and lemma [95].
Individual rough fescue plants often form large-diameter bunches. Moss and Campbell [78] reported crown diameters of 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) on undisturbed sites in Alberta. In quaking aspen parklands of Saskatchewan, plant diameters rarely exceed 5 to 6 inches (13-15 cm). Plants have an extensive fibrous root system that can reach more than 4 feet (120 cm) in depth on sites in the black soil zone in Saskatchewan. Approximately 73% of the root system is concentrated in the top 6 inches (15 cm) of soil. On these sites, average yield of underground fescue parts to a depth of 4 feet (1.2 m) is estimated at approximately 11.11 tons/acre [25].
Culm height, color, and other characteristics differ by species [80]. Rough fescue species are distinguished primarily by growth habit and other morphological characteristics, and there is overlap among the subspecies. Botanical characteristics of the species follow.
Altai fescue tends to have yellowish- to dark-green foliage. Plants are densely caespitose with short, inconspicuous to infrequently present rhizomes [1,80]. Plants produce 5 to 10 culms that are 16 to 24 inches (40-60 cm) in height, and have 3 to 5 florets per spikelet [14,46,80].Mountain rough fescue is bluish gray-green, densely caespitose, and occasionally has short rhizomes [14,46,80]. It is relatively tall and forms large clumps consisting of up to 25 culms [80]. Culms generally range from 16 to 36 inches (40-90 cm) in height, with 4 to 6 florets per spikelet [1]. Mountain rough fescue has double the chromosome number of the other 2 subspecies [80].
Plains rough fescue is somewhat rhizomatous and mat forming in habit. Plants are bluish or gray-green bunchgrasses with short rhizomes. Plants produce 3 to 5 culms that range from 8 to 26 inches (20-65 cm) in height. There are 2 to 3 florets per spikelet. Plants are relatively short, less strongly tufted than the other subspecies and produce short, creeping rhizomes [1,14,62]. Dead sheaths persist at the base of plants [1].
Rough fescue is a circumboreal complex [7,11]. In North America, plants in the complex are widely distributed from Alaska southward to Oregon and Colorado [27,47,49]. Rough fescue is a major prairie type of the northern Great Plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and North Dakota. It has a scattered distribution in the East, where it is most common in Michigan and the northeastern provinces [11,41,95,104].
Distributions of the species in the rough fescue complex are:
Altai fescue - from Alaska and the Northwest Territories south to British Columbia [4,7]; scattered occurrences in the Great Lakes states and the eastern provinces [1,4,11,13,15]
mountain rough fescue - from British Columbia east to Alberta and south to Montana and Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado [4,13]
plains rough fescue - from eastern British Columbia east to Manitoba and south to Colorado and North Dakota [4,10,13]
Distributions of Altai fescue, mountain rough fescue, and plains rough fescue, respectively. Maps courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [105] [2018, January 30].Fire adaptations: Rough fescue plants appear to be well adapted to periodic burning. Their dense, tufted habit makes them resistant to "light" fire [1]. The primary postfire survival strategy of rough fescue is through the sprouting of surviving residual plants and from off-site wind-dispersed seed [100]. Although plants are initially top-killed, recovery of prefire coverages and herbage production is usually attained in 2 to 3 years [99].
Susceptibility to fire is related to fire severity, frequency, and season [100]. Crowns are characterized by coarse stems that tend to persist from year to year. During burning, densely packed stubble accumulations insulate perennating buds located near the ground surface [55,75]. Reductions in plant vigor are more long lasting following growing-season burns than dormant-season burns. Postburn recovery rates decline the further into the growing season plants are burned [12,91]. Where reduced fire frequencies have produced large-diameter bunches with heavy litter build-ups, survival may be severely inhibited, as crowns tend to continue burning long after passage of the flame front [6,119]. Antos and others [6] suggest that fire frequencies in the range of 5 to 10 years may best maintain rough fescue.
FIRE REGIMES: In parts of Saskatchewan, presettlement fire intervals in plains rough fescue communities were estimated at 2-6 or 5-10 years [85]. Barrett [15] estimates presettlement fire free intervals of 10 to 18 years in ponderosa pine rough fescue communities in Idaho. Late summer or autumn lightning fires may have encouraged the growth of rough fescue in Oregon [4]. Grazed areas generally hamper fire spread, and intense use by livestock may have greatly restricted fire spread in rough fescue grasslands [10].
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which these species may occur by entering the species' names in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES". The following table provides fire-return intervals for some plant communities in which rough fescue is common.
Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years) plains grasslands Bouteloua spp. blue grama-needle-and-thread grass-western wheatgrass B. gracilis-Hesperostipa comata-Pascopyrum smithii wheatgrass plains grasslands Pascopyrum smithii 81] Great Lakes spruce-fir Picea-Abies spp. 35 to > 200 [35] Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine* Pinus contorta var. latifolia 25-300+ [8,9,86] Pacific ponderosa pine* P. ponderosa var. ponderosa 1-47 interior ponderosa pine* P. p. var. scopulorum 2-10 [9] quaking aspen (west of the Great Plains) Populus tremuloides 7-120 [9,45,74] aspen-birch P. t.-Betula papyrifera 35-200 [35,109] *Fire-return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the Species Review.Annual spring burning studies on quaking aspen parkland sites in Alberta indicate that short fire cycles impede rough fescue reestablishment , while long fire return intervals produce high mortality due to excessive fuel buildup. In plains rough fescue prairie communities, large concentrations of dead plant material develop in the absence of fire and/or grazing [44]. Prescribed fire frequencies of 5 to 10 years are recommended for mountain grassland sites where management objectives are aimed at rough fescue maintenance [5].
Spring burns should be conducted as soon after snowmelt as possible to minimize fire damage [12]. The degree to which plants recover typically declines as the growing season progresses [5,91]. In northwestern Montana, fall burns can increase the chances of soil erosion by wind or water, leaving rough fescue more susceptible to frost damage. Fall burns may also reduce important elk forage, including rough fescue, during the 1st winter after burning [58].
Protein content (%) of rough fescue may be increased by burning. In central Montana, protein content ranged from 6.0 to 8.9% on unburned control sites, and from 8.1 to 14.6% on burned sites [61].Rough fescue grows in grasslands, open forests, montane and subalpine grasslands, and in alpine, tundra, and arctic communities [80]. It is most prominent in a belt along the northern edge of the Great Plains, where it is the principal climax dominant within the black-soil zone of Alberta, western Saskatchewan, and northwestern Montana [26]. It is generally associated with mesic grassland sites having annual precipitation of more than 14 inches (350 mm) and a short, cool growing season [95,110]. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, rough fescue grasslands are characterized by a subhumid climate and annual precipitation of approximately 22 inches (560 mm), of which 65% occurs between May and September [117].
Rough fescue grows on a number of soil types including loam and silty loams [64]. In eastern North America, Altai fescue populations are often localized. Populations are found on sand plains, serpentine barrens, limestone plains and basaltic slopes. In western North American, Altai fescue grows in subalpine, alpine, taiga, and tundra zones in open forests, meadows, and grasslands, or in timber, rocky slopes, and plateaus [1].
Site preferences of rough fescue vary by subspecies. Mountain rough fescue is a dominant component of foothill grasslands. This subspecies occurs on more mesic and cooler sites than the other subspecies [1].
Topography supporting plains rough fescue ranges from level to gently rolling. Plains and mountain rough fescue are separated by elevation in southern Alberta. Plains rough fescue occupies prairie sites in central Alberta and Saskatchewan at elevations from 1,200 to 2,000 feet (366-610 m) [1].
Elevational ranges of rough fescue vary as follows [25,30,32,49,68,71,103,118]:
2,000 to 7,500 ft (600-2,300 m) in AlbertaRough fescue plants are initially top-killed by fire [100]; however, they are moderately resistant to fire. Rough fescue crowns are made up of coarse culm bases that persist from year to year. These crown characteristics make rough fescue less susceptible to prolonged burning than a fine-leaved bunchgrass such as Idaho fescue [119]. Coarse stubble accumulations presumably insulate perennating buds located near the ground surface [75]. Most plants survive fires that occur during dormancy or under the high-moisture conditions often associated with spring and fall burning [12,59,67].
Although densely packed stubble accumulations help to insulate the perennating buds when fire severity is low, with very dry burning conditions the dense stubble accumulations can generate high-severity fires [100]. Fires that penetrate the duff layer and burn into the root crowns increase belowground temperatures that can damage belowground tissues [19,100]. Fire damage can be particularly severe and mortality can occur on sites where reduced fire frequencies have produced heavy litter buildups within large-diameter rough fescue crowns [6].
Rough fescue is important livestock forage throughout its range. Plants are very productive and highly palatable to livestock and wildlife. Many grasslands in southern Canada are dominated by this species, and all 3 subspecies are important native forage grasses in Canada [1].
Plants are used throughout the growing season by a number of big game species including bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and bison. Rough fescue is the primary food for bison herds wintering in the quaking aspen parklands of southern Canada [53,76], and bison also utilize rough fescue heavily in fall. Summer bison use of rough fescue is described as "moderate" in Alberta [56].
Rough fescue is heavily use by elk on winter ranges in Montana. It is 1of the preferred winter range grasses in west-central Montana [34]. Jourdonnais and Bedunah [58] report that it is the most preferred forage for wintering elk on the Sun River Game Range of Montana. Elk consumption of rough fescue may also be fairly heavy in both spring and fall (20 and 27% "aggregated frequency") [90]. In northern Idaho, elk feed on rough fescue in mid-summer and fall, with higher use noted in late summer [63]. Rough fescue is also important late fall elk food in subalpine grasslands of British Columbia [82]. In Alberta, elk and cattle favor mountain rough fescue grasslands as feeding areas [11], and mountain rough fescue grasslands are important winter rangelands [114]. Seasonal elk use of rough fescue was as follows in west-central Alberta [77]:
Diet Consumption (%)
Dec.-May June July-Aug. Sept.-Nov. 88.2 56.7 0.4 64.7Winter use of rough fescue by Rocky Mountain mule deer in the United States and in Alberta is described as "light" [66,94]. In Montana, white-tailed deer use rough fescue during winter in trace amounts [90] and in northern Idaho it is used in early summer [63]. Bighorn sheep make at least "moderate" use of rough fescue on winter ranges of Alberta. During July, rough fescue was the largest component of bighorn sheep diets [94]. Winter-ranging mountain goats feed on rough fescue on lower slopes, ridges, high ridges, and rock outcrops [48]. Snowshoe hares feed on rough fescue in summer [50].
Rough fescue is a dominant understory plant in a number of
nonforested and forested communities throughout its range. On grassland
sites it often occurs as the climax dominant and has been used
as a series indicator. Commonly described grassland types include rough
fescue-Idaho fescue (F. altaica-F. idahoensis) and rough fescue-bluebunch
wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata). Shrubland series where rough
fescue is named as an understory indicator include big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), and shrubby cinquefoil
(Dasiphora floribunda). Habitat
types where rough fescue dominates the understory have been
identified within limber pine (Pinus flexilis), ponderosa pine (Pinus
ponderosa), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) series
[7,83,88].
Common associates of rough fescue in prairie communities include timber
oatgrass (Danthonia intermedia), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis),
prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), bluegrass (Poa spp.),
lupine (Lupinus spp.), and shrubby cinquefoil
[20]. Plains rough fescue commonly occurs with blue grama (Bouteloua
gracilis) [69]. On the steppes of Washington, rough fescue is often associated with
Idaho fescue/sulphur flower (Eriogonum heracleoides)
and Idaho fescue/common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) habitat
types [28]. In central Alberta and Manitoba, rough fescue commonly
grows in association with porcupine grass (Stipa spartea var. curtiseta),
western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis), prairie Junegrass,
timber oatgrass, and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) [6,12].
Altai fescue grows in tundra meadows in Alaska with downy ryegrass (Elymus
innovatus) and bluegrass (Poa spp.) [106]. In
Alaskan taiga communities, Altai fescue grows on windy foothill sites with bluejoint
(Calamagrostis canadensis) [107]. It also grows in
boreal lodgepole pine forests [80].
Mountain rough fescue is a dominant component of several grassland
associations of southern Alberta and British Columbia
[1]. It also occurs in open ponderosa pine forests, in forests within the subalpine zone, and
in grassy balds within forested areas [80].
Plains rough fescue originally occupied quaking aspen parklands and benches along the Rocky Mountain
foothills [42,102]. It also grew in parts of the northern
Great Plains [46]. Grazing and
agriculture have largely eliminated plains rough fescue from
many of the highly productive, low- elevation sites it once occupied
[6,95]. Griltz and Romo [43] estimate that less than 5% of
prairie once dominated by this subspecies remains, primarily as
small, isolated remnants. Plains rough fescue overlaps with
mountain rough fescue in parts of the Rocky Mountains [80].
Plant classifications describing communities dominated by rough fescue are as
follows:
Rough fescue is a cool-season grass that is well adapted to a short growing season. It typically initiates growth immediately following snowmelt and completes growth before the onset of summer drought. On most sites, plants cure by early October [55]. Reserve carbohydrate levels are at low levels in April or May [58], when growth resumes. On montane grassland sites in interior British Columbia, rough fescue initiates growth in early spring (usually by mid-April) and ceases growth by late June [97,98]. In British Columbia, culm growth begins in late May and ceases by the time leaf growth has ended [98]. Soil temperatures at depths of 4 inches (10 cm) ranged from 36.7 to 37.2 o Fahrenheit (2.6-2.9 oC). Growth initiation may be more closely related to soil temperature than to soil water content or to air temperature. In Alberta, Johnston and McDonald [55] observed that growth began in mid-May when soil temperatures were 35.6 o Fahrenheit (2 o C) at 8 inches (20 cm).
In British Columbia, flowering typically occurs from mid-May to mid-June, with seed dispersal from mid- to late July. Maximum plant weights were not attained until late June, after culm and blade elongation had ceased. Summer growth cessation is controlled primarily by available water [98]. Fall regrowth occasionally occurs in plains rough fescue in Manitoba [102]. In British Columbia, fall regrowth occurred in 2 out of 3 years in September or October. Lack of regrowth was attributed to effects of defoliation [98].
Dates of phenological development of rough fescue over a 3-year period on 2 sites in interior British Columbia [98]. 3,798 Feet (1,158 m) 2,800 Feet (854 m) Phenological stage 1971 1972 1973 1971 1972 1973 Boot 5/27 ---- 5/1 5/12 5/10 4/30 Early head 6/3 5/18 5/8 5/19 5/17 5/7 Full head 6/10 5/25 5/30 5/22 5/24 5/14 Early flower 6/17 6/1 5/30 6/2 5/31 5/28 Full flower 6/24 6/15 6/6 6/9 6/7 6/5 End of flower 7/1 6/22 6/13 6/23 6/14 6/12 Seed in milk ---- ---- 6/29 6/30 ---- 6/19 Seed in dough ---- 7/11 ---- 7/7 7/5 6/26 Seed ripe 7/22 ---- 7/5 7/14 ---- 7/3 Seed shatter ---- 7/24 7/5 ---- 7/17 7/3 Leaf growth stops estimated visually 6/17 7/7 6/13 6/23 6/28 5/28 estimated from measurements 6/10 6/29 5/30 6/2 6/7 5/28 Fall regrowth begins estimated visually 9/3 none 10/16 9/15 none 10/3 estimated from measurements 9/9 none none 9/22 none 10/17Rough fescue recovers from fire by tillering, sprouting from the root crown, and regenerating from seed [1,42,91,99,100]. It is initially reduced by fire regardless of the season of burning. Although prefire cover is typically regained within 2 to 3 years on most sites [100], burning season and fire severity can influence the rate of recovery. Despite burning at high temperatures, rough fescue can sometimes initiate conspicuous green shoots within a week after the fire. Rough fescue is unharmed by burning if the plant is dormant [4].
Spring burns can adversely affect flower development, and seed production can be reduced. Spring burns may be more detrimental due to elevated growing points that increase susceptibility; however, in a southeastern British Columbia study, spring burns had no significant effect on rough fescue cover [100].
Fall burns appear to have no effect on seed production [12,100]. Elevated soil moistures which are associated with fall burns may also reduce damage. Early spring growth and flower development were reported following the fall burn in British Columbia. Earlier growth was attributed to increased soil temperatures resulting from greater heat absorption from the blackened surface [100].
Nonrhizomatous Altai and mountain rough fescue appear more susceptible to fire damage than plains rough fescue. Plants are particularly prone to fire damage on sites where reduced fire frequencies have produced large diameter bunches with heavy stubble accumulations. Antos and others [6] observed decreased sprouting response with increasing bunch size following a hot, mid-season wildfire in Montana. Crowns less than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter sprouted completely, whereas sprouting was inhibited in crowns greater than 7.8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. Three years after the fire, average coverage of rough fescue on burned sites was 11.1% versus 29.9% in unburned areas. Herbage production can remain below unburned levels for 2 to 3 years when mid-season burning generates high severity fires [21].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [96]:
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Tussock graminoid
Caudex/herbaceous root crown, growing points in soil
Initial on-site colonizer (on-site, initial community)
FIRE REGIMES:
Rough fescue regenerates from seed, tillers, and sometimes from rhizomes. Plants may be rhizomatous or caespitose in habit [80,97].
As is the case with the majority of cool-season grasses, the seed crop of any year is initiated and partially develops during the fall. Final seedhead maturation occurs the next summer. Vegetative buds are maintained throughout the year at approximately 0.09 inch (2.3 mm) above the root-stem transition. Floral initiation occurs primarily during late August and early September. Reproductive apices are gradually elevated to 0.6 inch (15.2 mm) during the winter months. Rapid culm elongation occurs during May and early June [97].
Variation in year-to-year germination and seed production has been reported. Seed production is not related to basal area or the number of tillers per plant. Although factors responsible for erratic seed production in rough fescue are unknown, Stout and others [97] suggest that environmental factors can have a significant impact when seed development occurs over a prolonged period. Their studies indicate that low temperatures enhance seed development.
Griltz and others [44] report that "persistence of viable rough fescue seed in the soil is low." In Alberta, the number of viable seed per m2 of rough fescue decreased with grazing [56]. According to Griltz and others [44] germination in rough fescue is primarily controlled by water stress and not temperature. For example, plains rough fescue is known to germinate over a wide range of temperature. Germination was found to be highest at constant temperatures of 59 and 68 oF (15 and 20 oC) [87]. Germination of rough fescue is reduced by exposure to moist conditions at low temperatures [44]. Johnston and MacDonald [55] reported germination rates of 86 to 96.5% during field trials in southern Alberta. Details on germination characteristics of rough fescue by temperature, light, and osmotic potential are available [44,87,92,93].
Stands typically take from 3 to 4 years to fully develop. Initial establishment is enhanced on sites that receive protection from grazing. The establishment of plains rough fescue is likely to be highest where plants have died or where competition is reduced at some distance from established plants [44].
Plains rough fescue, which grows along the foothills and in mountain grasslands of the Rocky Mountains, is rhizomatous. In Alberta, bunches are connected by short rhizomes to form a large, loosely consolidated crown. Rhizomes emerge either laterally or from underneath the crown and radiate in all directions. Sprouts are then produced within approximately 0.8 inch (2 cm) of the parent plant. Maximum root depth is 6 inches (15 cm). Maximum rhizome lengths are approximately 23 inches (60 cm). Vegetative regeneration in plains rough fescue may be reduced by heavy grazing. Plains rough fescue produces seed only infrequently [87].
Altai fescue may have short, inconspicuous rhizomes [1,14].
Mountain rough fescue rarely produces rhizomes [14,46,80]. Mountain rough fescue tillers appear to survive "several" years and become larger with age [39]. Most tillers are vegetative and lack culms [111]. Seed production is erratic. Several years may elapse without any appreciable seed set. Important seed years in southern Alberta were 1902, 1952, 1964, and 1966 [55].
Rough fescue occurs in early, seral, and climax communities. It is characteristic of many climax and late-successional mountain grassland and fescue prairie communities [70,78]. In rough fescue prairie foothill communities of Alberta, succession to a "near climax state" requires more than 20 years following heavy grazing [33]. Complete recovery following light grazing in southwestern Alberta took approximately 14 years [113]. Rough fescue is a component of early seral communities following fire because of residual plant survival [70,78].
Altai fescue is common soon after fire in quaking aspen woodlands of Alaska [69]. It is also prevalent on some black spruce (Picea mariana) sites 40 to 100 years after fire in British Columbia [82]. It occurs in early stages of succession in tundra communities of the Alaska Range [106]. It is present into the early shrub stage, but does not reproduce sexually. By the late shrub stage, rough fescue is no longer present. Generalized succession in these tundra communities is as follows [106]:
pioneer stage: 25-30 yearsPlains rough fescue is considered a climax species in grassland communities of Manitoba [6].
The rough fescues are in the grass family (Poaceae). They form a closely related
complex of species that are separated by rhizome morphology and ploidy level
[14]. There are 3 species in the rough fescue complex:
Festuca altaica Trin., Altai fescue [14,60]
Festuca campestris Rydb., mountain rough fescue [1,2,14,60,80]
Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper, plains rough fescue [14,60]
Altai and plains rough fescue are tetraploids, whereas mountain rough
fescue is octaploid [2,3]. In this summary, "rough fescue" refers to
the complex. Species are referred to by the full common names
listed above.
for Festuca hallii:
Festuca altaica subsp. hallii (Vasey) Harms [46]
for
Festuca campestris:
Festuca altaica var. major (Vasey) Gleason [1]
Festuca scabrella var. major Vasey [108]
Festuca altaica, also known as the altai fescue, or the northern rough fescue, is a perennial bunchgrass with a wide native distribution in the Arctic, from central Asia to eastern North America. It was first described in 1829 by Carl Bernhard von Trinius.[2][3] It is under the synonym F. scabrella, the rough fescue.[4]
Festuca altaica is a densely tufted perennial grass. The tufts are connected by short rhizomes. The flowering stems (culms) are usually 30–90 cm (1–3 ft) tall, but may reach 120 cm (4 ft). The upper (adaxial) surface of the leaves is densely covered with short hairs. A ligule is present and is 0.1–0.6 mm (0.004–0.024 in) long. The inflorescence is a loose panicle. The spikelets are 8–14 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long, purple to brown in color, and have 3 to 6 individual florets. Festuca altaica flowers and fruits from late spring to the fall.[5]
Festuca altaica was first described in 1829 by Carl Bernhard von Trinius, who wrote the section on grasses in Flora Altaica, whose principal author was Carl Friedrich von Ledebour.[1][6] Festuca scabrella was described in 1840 by John Torrey in William Jackson Hooker's Flora Boreali-Americana.[7] It was reduced to a subspecies of F. altaica in 1942 and then a variety in 1957. It is now considered to be a synonym of F. altaica.[1][5]
Festuca altaica has a wide Arctic distribution. In temperate Asia it is native to Siberia and the Russian Far East, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Xinjiang in China. In North America it occurs throughout the subarctic, in western Canada, in parts of eastern Canada (Labrador, Newfoundland and Quebec) and into Michigan in the United States.[1] The Canadian province of Alberta, in the Canadian Prairies region, is home to a large area of grassland containing this species. Under the name Festuca scabrella, rough fescue is the provincial grass of Alberta.[4][8]
Festuca altaica, also known as the altai fescue, or the northern rough fescue, is a perennial bunchgrass with a wide native distribution in the Arctic, from central Asia to eastern North America. It was first described in 1829 by Carl Bernhard von Trinius. It is under the synonym F. scabrella, the rough fescue.
