Festuca rubra
L. Red FescueTufted, rhizomatous, or stoloniferous perennial, culms to 90 cm high. Leaf-blades inrolled or convolute, usually more or less triangular in section, rarely almost flat, to 40 cm long and 1 mm diam. (or 2 mm if flattened), smooth or minutely scabrous toward the tips; sheaths brown, shining, minutely pubescent at least when young, readily shredding with age; ligules barely discernible 0.1–0.2 mm long, apex minutely, densely ciliate. Panicle rather loose, to 18 cm long, branches erect or spreading. Spikelets 3–9-flowered, 5–14 mm long (excluding awns), often purplish; glumes 2–5 mm long, the upper exceeding the lower by 1–2.5 mm; lemma narrow, 4–6 mm long, excluding awn, smooth or minutely scabrous toward apex; awn 0.5–3 mm long; palea subequal to lemma. Flowers Oct.–Jan.
VVP, VRiv, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, HSF, HNF, VAlp. Naturalized in all States except NT, Qld. Indigenous through most parts of Europe, widely cultivated as a lawn-grass. In Victoria mostly encountered in settled areas. The rhizomatous form is often found in suburban lawns, and the tufted form is often found around alpine resorts (where used for stabiilsation of ski-runs), as well as some golf courses.
Both tufted and stoloniferous forms occur, the latter sometimes referred to Festuca rubra subsp. rubra, but possibly more common in the state is the tufted form, sometimes regarded as subsp. commutata Gaud. (Chewings Fescue) or F. nigrescens Lam. However, Markgraf-Danneberg (in Tutin et al. 1980) restricts the name F. nigrescens to plants in which the awn is at least half as long as the body of the lemma, a condition observed in some Victorian specimens. More recently Weiller et al (2009) have recognised both species as being present in Victoria, and distinguish them as follows: F. rubra (plants rhizomatous, shoots extravaginal, caryopsis ellipsoid), F. nigrescens (plant tufted, shoots intravaginal, caryopsis oblong). Until verified by a European expert, Victorian specimens are probably best included under a wide circumscription of F. rubra.
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
