Altai Fescue

Plant densely tufted, base with brown scabrid old sheaths, shortly rhizomatous between tufts; shoots usually intravaginal. Culms (25–)30–90(–120) cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades involute or culm blades occasionally flat, (4–)10–30(–45) cm × 0.5–1.4 mm (to 4 mm when flat), adaxial surface densely pubescent, margins scaberulous, veins 5–17; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands present, abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow discrete strands; ligule 0.1–0.6 mm, margin ciliate. Panicle loose, open, (5–)7–16 cm; branches 3–10(–13) cm, scabrid, 1–2(–3) at lowest node. Spikelets 8–14 mm, purplish or brown; florets 3–6; glumes broadly lanceolate, margins broadly membranous; lower glume 4–6.8(–8.3) mm; upper glume 5–7.5(–10) mm; rachilla internodes 1.2–1.8 mm; lemmas (6–)7–9(–12) mm, scabrid, veins prominent; awns 0.2–0.7 mm; palea keels scaberulous. Anthers 2.5–4.5(–5.5) mm. Ovary apex moderately hairy. 2n = 28. Fl. and fr. Jun–Sep.

Xinjiang [E Kazakhstan (Tarbagatai Mountains), Mongolia, Russia; North America].

Stony mountain slopes, meadows; 2400–3800 m.

Festuca scabrella Torrey; F. altaica subsp. scabrella (Torrey) Hultén; F. altaica var. scabrella (Torrey) Breitung.