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Festuca heterophylla Lam.

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General Information
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Similar Species
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Family :

Famille :

Poaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Festuca rubra L. var. heterophylla (Lam.) Mutel (USDA-ARS 2022)

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Various-leaved fescue

(English) (Barkworth et al. 2007; CFIA 2021)

Shade fescue (English) (Wiersema and León 1999)

Fétuque hétérophylle (French) (Barkworth et al. 2007)

Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) florets

  • Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) florets

  • Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) floret, palea view

  • Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) floret, side view

  • Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) floret, lemma view

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Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

    Regulation Notes:

    Distribution :

    Répartition :

    Festuca heterophylla is native to Europe and temperate western Asia and introduced elsewhere as a turf grass for shady areas (Barkworth et al. 2007; Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007; USDA-ARS 2022).

    Habitat and Crop Association :

    Habitat et Cultures Associées :

    Native Festuca heterophylla grows in open forests, forest edges, and on shrubby slopes (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 heterophylla was once planted as a turf grass in shady areas (Hitchcock 1950; Barkworth et al. 2007). It is reported to persist in some places of introduction in the northeastern United States (Barkworth et al. 2007; USDA 2022) and British Columbia, Canada (Klinkenberg 2020).

    Duration of Life Cycle :

    Durée du cycle vital:

    Perennial

    Dispersal Unit Type :

    Type d’unité de dispersion :

    Floret

    General Information

    RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

    Festuca heterophylla belongs to a group of Festuca species generally referred to as fine fescues sold for use in turfgrass systems under a variety of environmental conditions (Braun et al. 2020). F. heterophylla is a cool-season, perennial non-rhizomatous bunchgrass (Barkworth et al. 2007). Other fine fescues sold in commercial channels include Festuca filiformis (hair fescue), F. ovina (sheep fescue), F. trachyphylla (hard fescue), F. rubra subsp. rubra and F. rubra subsp. littoralis 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; 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: 7 – 14 mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Spikelet length: 8 – 11.5 mm (Tutin et al. 1980).

      Shape

      • Spikelet oblong to oval.

      Surface Texture

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

      Colour

      • Spikelet yellowish brown coloured.

      Other Features

      Spikelet composition

      • Spikelet usually composed of 3 – 6 similar looking florets with distal floret usually sterile and slightly smaller in size (Tutin et al. 1980; Barkworth et al. 2007).

      Glumes

      • Glumes narrowly teardrop-shaped (ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate) (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Lower glume length 3 – 5.5 mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Upper glume length: 4 – 6.5(7) mm (Barkworth et al. 2007).
      • Glumes mostly smooth or with some short stiff hairs on the upper middle vein (Barkworth et al. 2007).

      Disarticulation

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

    • Floret

      Size

      • Floret length*: 4.1 – 6.3 mm (average 5.0 mm); width*: 0.8 – 1.0 mm (average 0.9 mm).
      • Rachilla length*: 0.5 – 1.6 mm (average 0.9 mm).
      • Awn length*: 0.6 – 2.9 mm (average 1.6 mm).
      *Note: minimum and maximum based on 13 florets in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23305.

      Size measurements from literature:

      • Lemma length: 5 – 8.4 mm; width: 1.7 – 2 mm; awn up to 6 mm (Tutin et al. 1980).
      • Lemma length: (4.7) 5 – 8.5 mm; awn length: 1.5 – 6.0 mm (Barkworth et al., 2007).
      • Floret length: 5 – 6 mm; width: 0.9 – 1.1 mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007).

      Shape

      • Floret narrowly teardrop-shaped (lanceolate), dorsal-ventrally compressed to in-rolled longitudinally on palea side.

      Surface Texture

      • Lemma and palea papery.

      Colour

      • Florets yellowish-brown.

      Other Features

      Lemma

      • Lemma finely granular, sometimes with short hairs near tip or long hairy in the upper two-thirds.
      • 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.

      Awn

      • Awned from lemma tip; straight.

      Callus

      • Plump ridge, thicker in the center and appearing slightly curved

      Rachilla

      • Straight, thin, cylindrical, flared at tip; smooth or sparsely long hairy.

      Palea

      • Palea mostly equal to lemma length.
      • Palea keels two, in-rolled, central palea appearing recessed.
      • Palea granular, area between palea keels hairy near tip.
      • Palea keel hairs (palea teeth) along upper two-thirds of keels short and stiff and widely spaced.
      • Palea translucent and the dark caryopsis is visible behind the palea.

      Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) florets

    • Caryopsis

      Size

      • Caryopsis length*: 2.9 mm; width: 0.6 mm.
      • Hilum length*: 2.2 mm.
      Note*: Minimum and maximum of caryopsis and hilum based on one caryopses in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23305.

      Caryopsis measurements from the literature:

      • Caryopsis length: 3.3 – 3.7 mm, width: 0.7 – 0.9 mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007).

      Shape

      • Caryopsis oblong-oval, pointed at embryo end, dorsal-ventrally compressed, slightly in-rolled forming a longitudinal groove on hilum side.

      Surface Texture

      • Caryopsis surface is smooth to slightly rough, dull to slightly shiny; hairy at tip.

      Colour

      • Caryopsis is dark reddish-brown.

      Other Features

      • Hilum linear, located in a longitudinal depression, about three-quarters the length of caryopsis.
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    • Embryo

      Size

      • Embryo length*: 0.5 mm.
      • The embryo is about one-fifth the length of caryopsis.
      Note*: Minimum and maximum of caryopsis and hilum based on one caryopsis in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23305

      Shape

      • Embryo oval.

      Endosperm

      • Endosperm solid (Terrell 1971).

      Other Features

      • Embryo position lateral.

    Identification Tips

    CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

    Florets of Festuca heterophylla are similar to those of other Festuca species but can be hairy in the upper two-thirds of the lemma and the apex of the caryopsis is hairy. 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.

    Various-leaved fescue (Festuca heterophylla) florets

    Additional Botany Information

    AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

    Flowers/Inflorescence

    • The inflorescence a panicle, 6 – 17 cm long (Tutin et al. 1980).
    • Anther length: 2.5 – 4.5 mm (Barkworth et al. 2007), about one-half the length of the palea (Tutin et al. 1980).
    • Ovary apex with hairs (Tutin et al. 1980; Barkworth et al. 2007).

    Vegetative Features

    • Plants densely to loosely tufted, not rhizomatous, stems 60 – 120 (150) cm tall (Tutin et al. 1980; Barkworth et al. 2007; Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007 ).
    • Leaf sheaths closed for about three-quarters of their length, shredding into fibers with age (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 sunken 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.

    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).

    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 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.

     

    Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) R. P. Murray
    [Festuca brevipila R. Tracey used by CFIA 2021 and F. trachyphylla (Hack.) Krajina used by USDA-AMS 2022]
    Hard fescue

    Note:* minimum and maximum sizes are based on 10 florets and 5 caryopses in a normal range of this species using image measurement protocol (ISMA 2020). CDA-S-23326, CDA-S-57398.

    Comparison Table of Similar Species.

    F. heterophylla F. rubra subsp. rubra F. rubra subsp. commutata F. filiformis F. ovina F. trachyphylla
    Floret length (mm)* 4.1 – 6.3 3.4 – 7.7 4.0 – 6.6 2.2 – 3.7 4.0 – 5.7 3.6 – 4.9
    Floret width (mm)* 0.8 – 1.0 0.7 – 1.3 0.7 – 1.1 0.6 – 0.9 0.7 – 1.1 0.8 – 1.0
    Lemma awn length (mm)* 0.6 – 2.9 0.3 – 2.9 0.4 – 2.4 Unawned or very short awn, 0.1 – 0.7 1.0 – 4.0 0.7 – 2.4
    Lemma surface texture Lemma usually smooth, sometimes with short hairs near tip or long hairy in the upper two-thirds. 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 mostly smooth or with short stiff hairs near tip or sometimes hairy in upper two-thirds. Lemma usually smooth or with short stiff hairs in upper half, rarely hairy all over.
    Callus Plump ridge, thicker in the center and appearing slightly curved. 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. Thick ridge, blunt base. Thick ridge.
    Rachilla Rachilla smooth or sparsely long hairy. Rachilla smooth or covered with short hairs. Rachilla smooth or covered with short hairs. Rachilla smooth or hairy. Rachilla smooth to 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 two-thirds of keels short and stiff and widely spaced. 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 one-third of keels short and stiff. Palea surface granular, area between palea keels sparsely hairy in upper third and especially near tip.
    Caryopsis length (mm)* 2.9 2.9 – 4.1 2.4 – 3.8 1.6 – 1.9 2.1 – 3.1 2.5 – 3.8
    Caryopsis width (mm)* 0.6 0.8 – 1.0 0.6 – 1.0 0.7 – 0.8 0.5 – 0.7 0.8 – 0.9
    Caryopsis apex Caryopsis apex hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex not hairy. Caryopsis apex not 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)

    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). 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

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

    Hitchcock, A. S. 1950. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. 2nd Ed. (revised by A. Chase). United States Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 200. United states Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.

    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.

    Klinkenberg, B. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed November 29, 2022.

    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 29, 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).