genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s belonging to the grass
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Poaceae
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
(subfamily
Pooideae
The Pooideae are the largest subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, with about 4,000 species in 15 tribes and roughly 200 genera. They include some major cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and many lawn and pasture grasses. They are often r ...
). They are
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
or
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
tufted grasses with a height range of and a
cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...
, occurring on every continent except
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
. The genus is closely related to
ryegrass
''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera.
They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' i ...
(''Lolium''), and recent evidence from
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
studies using
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...
of plant
mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...
shows that the genus lacks
monophyly
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic grou ...
. As a result, plant
taxonomist
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
s have moved several species, including the forage grasses tall fescue and meadow fescue, from the genus ''Festuca'' into the genus ''Lolium'', or alternatively into the segregate genus ''
Schedonorus
''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera.
They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' is ...
''.
Because the
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
is complex, scientists have not determined how many true species belong to the genus, but estimates range from more than 400 to over 640.Darbyshire, S. J. and L. E. Pavlick ''Festuca''. Grass Manual. Flora of North America.
Fescue
pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...
The genus ''Festuca'' represents a major evolutionary line of the tribe
Poeae
The Poeae are the largest tribe of the grasses, with around 2,500 species in 121 genera. The tribe includes many lawn and pasture grasses.
Taxonomy
Two separate tribes, Poeae and Aveneae, used to be distinguished based on morphology, but phylog ...
. The ancient group has produced various segregates that possess more advanced characteristics than ''Festuca'', including
racemose
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
inflorescences and more annual habits.
The word "''
festuca
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ever ...
''" is a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word meaning "stem" or "stalk" first used by
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
to describe a weed. The word ''Festuca'' first appears to describe grasses in
Dodoens
Rembert Dodoens (born Rembert Van Joenckema, 29 June 1517 – 10 March 1585) was a Flemish physician and botanist, also known under his Latinized name Rembertus Dodonaeus. He has been called the father of botany.
Life
Dodoens was born Rember ...
' "Stirpium historiae pemptades sex, sive libri XXX" in 1583. However, the plant Dodoens described as ''Festuca altera'' is truly ''
Bromus secalinus
''Bromus secalinus'' is a species of bromegrass known as rye brome. The specific epithet ''secalinus'' is Latin, meaning "rye-like". The fruits are hard, rounded glumes that appear superficially similar to the rye grain, which gives the brome ...
''. Other authors before
Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
used the name to describe other various species of ''
Bromus
''Bromus'' is a large genus of grasses, classified in its own tribe Bromeae. They are commonly known as bromes, brome grasses, cheat grasses or chess grasses. Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 ...
''. In the first edition of "Genera Plantarum", Linnaeus describes seven species of ''Festuca'', five of which are truly ''Bromus'' grasses with the other two being ''
Festuca gigantea
''Festuca gigantea'', or giant fescue, is a plant species in the grass family, Poaceae. Because this and other members of ''Festuca'' subgenus ''Schedonorus'' have more in common morphologically with members of the genus ''Lolium'' than with ''F ...
'' and ''
Festuca pratensis
''Festuca pratensis'', the meadow fescue, is a perennial species of grass, which is often used as an ornamental grass in gardens, and is also an important forage crop.
It grows in meadows, roadsides, old pastures, and riversides on moist, rich ...
''. In 1753 the genus is accepted as first being formally described, in Linnaeus' "Species Plantarum". Eleven species were described, with '' F. ovina'' being the type species. Of these eleven, one species was ''
Danthonia
''Danthonia'' is a genus of Eurasian, North African, and American plants in the grass family. Members of this genus are sometimes referred to as oatgrass, but that common name is not restricted to this genus. Other common names include heathgra ...
Koeleria
''Koeleria'' is a common and widespread genus of plants in the grass family, found on all continents except Antarctica and on various oceanic islands. It includes species known generally as Junegrasses.
The genus was named after German botanist ...
''. The first major
monograph
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
on the genus was Hackel's "Monographia Festucarum Europaearum" in 1882. Since Linnaeus' publications, seven genera have been proposed for groups of perennial fescues and fifteen for annual fescues, all with varying degrees of acceptance. For example, in 1906 the subgenus '' Vulpia'' was introduced for North American species. The annual habit and shorter
anther
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
s of ''Vulpia'' has since been enough to distinguish ''Vulpia'' as a separate genus from ''Festuca''.
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
The ground tissue of plants includes all tissues that are neither dermal nor vascular. It can be divided into three types based on the nature of the cell walls.
# Parenchyma cells have thin primary walls and usually remain alive after they beco ...
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.
Description
''Festuca'' grasses are perennial and
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
plants that are densely to loosely
cespitose
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
. Some grasses are
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...
, some lack rhizomes, and rarely species are
stolon
In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
iferous. The culms of the grasses are typically glabrous and smooth, though some species have scabrous culms or culms that are pubescent below the
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s. The
leaf sheath
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
s range from open to the base to closed to the top. Some species have sheaths that persist over years and typically have deciduous blades, and some species have sheaths that quickly shred into fibers and decay in
senescence
Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence inv ...
and typically have blades that are not deciduous. Species lack auricles. The
membranous
A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...
ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses (Poaceae) and sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the corolla, such as that of a ...
s measure and are typically longest at the margins. The ligules are typically
truncate
In mathematics and computer science, truncation is limiting the number of digits right of the decimal point.
Truncation and floor function
Truncation of positive real numbers can be done using the floor function. Given a number x \in \mathbb ...
and
ciliate
The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to flagellum, eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a ...
, though they can occasionally be
acute
Acute may refer to:
Science and technology
* Acute angle
** Acute triangle
** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology
* Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset.
** Acute toxicity, the adverse eff ...
conduplicate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
leaf blades are
involute
In mathematics, an involute (also known as an evolvent) is a particular type of curve that is dependent on another shape or curve. An involute of a curve is the locus of a point on a piece of taut string as the string is either unwrapped from or ...
glaucous
''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), g ...
or
pruinose Pruinescence , or pruinosity, is a "frosted" or dusty-looking coating on top of a surface. It may also be called a pruina (plural: ''pruinae''), from the Latin word for hoarfrost. The adjectival form is pruinose .
Entomology
In insects, a "blo ...
Festuca paradoxa
''Festuca paradoxa'', the cluster fescue, is a cool-season grass native to Canada and the Continental United States. Like other cool-season grasses, it grows during the spring and fall, and remains dormant for the rest of the year. This helps mai ...
Festuca perennis
''Lolium perenne'', common name perennial ryegrass, English ryegrass, winter ryegrass, or ray grass, is a grass from the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but is widely cultivated and naturalised around the world.
...
Festuca pilgeri
''Festuca pilgeri'' is a species of grass which is endemic to East Africa.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with long culms that are clumped. The ligule is going around the eciliate membrane while the leaf-sheaths are smooth ...
Festuca porcii
''Festuca porcii'' is a species of grass which can be found in Central, Eastern, and southeastern parts of Europe.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with culms. The ligule is going around the eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades ar ...
''
*''
Festuca pratensis
''Festuca pratensis'', the meadow fescue, is a perennial species of grass, which is often used as an ornamental grass in gardens, and is also an important forage crop.
It grows in meadows, roadsides, old pastures, and riversides on moist, rich ...
Festuca pseudodalmatica
''Festuca pseudodalmatica'' is a species of Poaceae, grass which can be found in Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and southeastern Europe.
Description
The plant is perennial plant, perennial and caespitose with long culm (botany ...
''
*''
Festuca pseudodura
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family (biology), family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennial tufted grasses with a height range of ...
''
*''
Festuca pseudoeskia
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
''
*''
Festuca pseudovina
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
Festuca purpurascens
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ...
Festuca quadriflora
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''
Festuca richardsonii
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
Festuca rigescens
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
''
*''
Festuca rivularis
''Festuca rivularis'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is native to the mountains of southwestern Europe and to northeastern Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast E ...
''
*''
Festuca rubra
''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in c ...
Festuca rupicaprina
''Festuca rupicaprina'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is native to the Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely i ...
Festuca sinensis
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family (biology), family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennial tufted grasses with a height range of ...
Festuca stricta
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
''
*''
Festuca subulata
''Festuca subulata'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common names bearded fescue and nodding fescue. It is native to the northwestern quarter of North America, from Alaska to South Dakota to northern California, where it is most often ...
'' – bearded fescue
*''
Festuca subuliflora
''Festuca subuliflora'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name crinkleawn fescue. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California where it is most abundant in the moist forests of the coastal mountains. ...
'' – crinkle-awn fescue
*''
Festuca subulifolia
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
Festuca trachyphylla
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
''
*''
Festuca vaginalis
''Festuca vaginalis'' is a species of grass. It is found only in Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translat ...
''
*''
Festuca vaginata
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family (biology), family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennial tufted grasses with a height range of ...
''
*''
Festuca valesiaca
''Festuca valesiaca'', the Volga fescue, is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia. It was introduced to North America when it was deliberately planted.Darbyshire, S. J. and L. E. Pavlick. (2007)''Fe ...
Festuca vivipara
''Festuca vivipara'', the viviparous sheep's-fescue, is a species of grass native to northern Europe, northern Asia, and subarctic North America. The specific epithet ''vivipara'' is Latin, referring to the florets' alteration to leafy tufts. Th ...
'' – viviparous fescue
*''
Festuca viviparoidea
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
Festuca arundinacea
''Festuca arundinacea'' ( syn., ''Schedonorus arundinaceus'' and ''Lolium arundinaceum'') is a species of grass commonly known as tall fescue. It is a cool-season perennial C3 species of bunchgrass native to Europe. It is an important forage gr ...
Festuca gigantea
''Festuca gigantea'', or giant fescue, is a plant species in the grass family, Poaceae. Because this and other members of ''Festuca'' subgenus ''Schedonorus'' have more in common morphologically with members of the genus ''Lolium'' than with ''F ...
Festuca pratensis
''Festuca pratensis'', the meadow fescue, is a perennial species of grass, which is often used as an ornamental grass in gardens, and is also an important forage crop.
It grows in meadows, roadsides, old pastures, and riversides on moist, rich ...