Festuca

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"Helleria" redirects here. For the woodlouse genus, see
Helleria (woodlouse)
.

Festuca
Festuca pratensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Supertribe: Poodae
Tribe: Poeae
Subtribe: Loliinae
Genus: Festuca
Tourn. ex L.
(1753)
Synonyms[1]
Synonymy
  • Amphigenes Janka (1860)
  • Anatherum Nábelek (1929), nom. illeg.
  • Argillochloa W.A.Weber (1984)
  • Asprella Host (1809), nom. illeg.
  • Chloamnia Raf. (1825)
  • Ctenopsis De Not. (1847)
  • Dasiola Raf. (1825)
  • Dielsiochloa Pilg. (1943)
  • Distomomischus Dulac (1867)
  • Drymochloa Holub (1984)
  • Festucaria Link (1844), nom. illeg.
  • Festucaria Heist. ex Fabr. (1759)
  • Gramen E.H.L.Krause (1914), nom. illeg.
  • Helleria E.Fourn. (1886), nom. illeg.
  • Hellerochloa Rauschert (1982)
  • Hesperochloa (Piper) Rydb. (1912)
  • Leiopoa Ohwi (1932)
  • Leucopoa Griseb. (1852)
  • Loliolum V.I.Krecz. & Bobrov (1934)
  • Loretia Duval-Jouve (1880)
  • Micropyrum (Gaudin) Link (1844)
  • Mygalurus Link (1821)
  • Nabelekia Roshev. (1937)
  • Narduretia Villar (1925)
  • Narduroides Rouy (1913)
  • Nardurus (Bluff, Nees & Schauer) Rchb. (1841)
  • Podophorus Phil. (1856)
  • Prosphysis Dulac (1867), nom. superfl.
  • Psilurus Trin. (1820)
  • Tragus Panz. (1813), nom. illeg.
  • Vulpia C.C.Gmel. (1805)
  • Wasatchia M.E.Jones (1912), nom. superfl.
  • Zerna Panz. (1813), nom. superfl.

Festuca (fescue) is a

Schedonorus
.

Because the taxonomy is complex, scientists have not determined how many true species belong to the genus, but estimates range from more than 400[4] to over 640.[5][6][7]

Fescue

hay fever.[8]

Taxonomy

The genus Festuca represents a major evolutionary line of the tribe Poeae. The ancient group has produced various segregates that possess more advanced characteristics than Festuca, including racemose inflorescences and more annual habits.

The word "

anthers of Vulpia has since been enough to distinguish Vulpia as a separate genus from Festuca.[10]

The taxonomy of the genus is ultimately problematic and controversial, as evidenced by the large number of small genera closely related to Festuca. Often distinguishing species within the genus requires the analysis of highly specific morphological differences on characters such as ovary pubescence or leaf

sclerenchyma patterns. This distribution of sclerenchyma tissue is an important distinguishing character between species, and though species can be locally distinguished without analyzing these characteristics, to distinguish the genus as a whole the analysis is necessary.[2]

Description

Festuca grasses are perennial and

midvein to adjacent to some or every lateral vein. These longitudinal strands occasionally merge into interrupted or continuous bands. Bands of confluent strands that reach veins are known as "pillars". The adaxial sclerenchyma tissue sometimes forms strands that are opposite or extend to epidermal veins. Some strands form "girders" together with the abaxial sclerenchyma tissue that connect epidermides at some or all veins.[2]

The

hila vary in length from half as long to as long as the caryopses.[2]

Montana

Uses

Some fescues are used as

F. arundinacea, and F. trachyphylla are used in parks, deforested areas, and sports fields for land stabilization. F. saximontana and F. idahoensis are used as rangeland grasses for livestock, and fescues often provide good forage for native wildlife.[10] F. ovina and its various subspecies are the most important grazing fescues for North America, and F. arundinacea is one of the most important hay and pasture grasses in Europe.[9] Fescue quickly establishes on bare ground, suffocating native plants, and persists over several years. Native grassland plants take years to establish deep root system of 5-15 feet (species specific), while fescue roots maximim depth is 2-3 feet. Historically used in soil erosion control programs, Tall fescue (F. arundinacea) particularly, 'Kentucky 31', a cultivar species, was used in land reclamation during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s in the US,[11] trigged by the removal of deep root systems for row crop cultivation. Fescues have been used as building material, as rope and as a variety of other things in indigenous Ethiopian communities, in particular the Guassa Community Conservation Area where it is referred to as 'Guassa Grass'.[12] The grasses F. amethystina, F. cinerea, F. elegans, F. glauca, and F. pallens are all grown as ornamentals.[2]

Fescue is sometimes used as feed for horses. However, fescue poisoning, caused by ergot alkaloids produced by the endophytic fungus Epichloë coenophiala, is a risk for pregnant mares.[13] During the last three months of pregnancy fescue poisoning increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, retained placenta, absent milk production, and prolonged pregnancy.[14] Incorporating legumes into the fescue can be a way to increase livestock gains and conception rates, even if the fescue is infected.[15]

Infrageneric ranks

Infrageneric ranks:[16]

  • Festuca sect. Amphigenes (Janka) Tzvelev
  • Festuca sect. Aristulatae E.B. Alexeev
  • Festuca subg. Asperifolia E.B. Alexeev 1981
  • Festuca sect. Atropis (Trin.) 1936
  • Festuca sect. Aulaxyper Dumort.
  • Festuca subg. Austrofestuca Tzvelev 1971
  • Festuca sect. Banksia E.B. Alexeev 1984
  • Festuca [unranked] Bovinae Fr. ex Andersson 1852
  • Festuca sect. Bovinae (Fr. ex Andersson) Hack. 1882
  • Festuca sect. Breviaristatae Krivot. 1960
  • Festuca sect. Bromochloa Drejer

Species

Main article: List of Festuca species

Species include:[5][17]

Subgenus Schedonorus

Proposed for inclusion in genus Lolium

References

  1. ^ "Festuca Tourn. ex L." Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9780195310719
    .
  3. JSTOR 3391460
    .
  4. JSTOR 23493233
    .
  5. ^ a b c Darbyshire, S. J.; Pavlick, L. E. "Festuca". Grass Manual. Flora of North America. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25.
  6. PMID 18226932
    .
  7. ^ "Festuca Tourn. ex L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  8. S2CID 10980420. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2011-09-14.
  9. ^
    JSTOR 23491541
    .
  10. ^
    ISBN 0-660-13483-7
    .
  11. ISBN 0-8247-2355-4
    .
  12. S2CID 55025015
    .
  13. ^ "Tall Fescue". Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008.
  14. ^ "Fescue Toxicosis in Horses". Department of Animal Science. Cornell University.
  15. ^ "Fescue Toxicosis". Ohio State University Extension.
  16. ^ "Tropicos — Windows". Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  17. ^ "genus Festuca". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) online database.
  18. ^
    JSTOR 41972126
    .
  19. ^ "Festuca breviglumis Swallen — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Festuca edlundiae S. Aiken, Consaul and Lefkovitch". Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Canadian Museum of Nature.
  21. ^ "Festuca riccerii". Galleria della Flora italiana (in Italian). ActaPlantarum. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  22. JSTOR 23230221
    .
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Festuca.
Wikispecies has information related to Festuca.
Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Fescue.
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