Volga Fescue

The name Festuca valesiaca is used here in a broad sense, distinguished from the F. rubra complex by its intravaginal shoots and weakly defined ribs; from the F. ovina complex by its discrete sclerenchyma strands; and from the F. cumminsii complex by its leaf sheaths open for more than half their length. Subspecies that have been recognized within this complex occurring in or near China are distinguished as follows.

Plant densely tufted; shoots intravaginal. Culms 20–35(–50) cm tall, nodes 1(–2). Leaf sheaths glabrous or basal leaf sheaths occasionally with trichomes; auricles present as erect swellings; leaf blades filiform, green or bluish, conduplicate, (2–)6–15(–20) cm × 0.3–1.1 mm, veins (3–)5(–7); adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma in 3(–5) discrete strands; ligule 0.1–0.3 mm, margin ciliate. Panicle spikelike, 3–7 cm; branches 1–2.5 cm, scabrid, 1 at lowest node. Spikelets 4.5–6 mm, greenish brown or purplish; florets (2–)3–5; glumes sometimes with ciliolate margins; lower glume lanceolate, 2–2.6(–3.5) mm; upper glume broadly lanceolate, 3–4.2 mm; rachilla internodes 0.4–0.8(–1.2) mm; lemmas 3.8–5 mm, scabrid; awns 0.7–2.2 mm; palea keels scabrid. Anthers (1–)1.6–2.4 mm. Ovary apex glabrous. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.

Tufted perennial without rhizomes; culms 10-40(-50)cm high, erect, slender. Leaf-blades folded-setaceous, up to 15cm long, scabrid on the lower (outer) surface, glaucous- pruinose, with 3 sclerenchyma strands, 1 on the keel and 1 along each margin, 5-nerved; ligule a narrow rim 0.3-0.5mm long. Panicle narrowly oblong, 3.5-12cm long, contracted, the branches ascending, ± appressed to the main axis, scabrid. Spikelets (3-)5-7-flowered, (4-)5-6(-7.5)mm long (excluding the awns); lower glume 2-3.5mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume 3-5mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas narrowly oblong-elliptic in side-view, (2.8-)3.2-4.2 (-4.7)mm long, scabrid in the upper part, with an awn 1-3mm long; palea-keels scabrid above, smooth below; anthers 2-3mm long; ovary glabrous.

Guizhou, Jilin, Qinghai, Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan; SW Asia, Europe].

Grassy mountain slopes, subalpine meadows, grasslands, roadsides; 1000–3700 m.