Fescues
Grasses - Poaceae
Dune Fescue Festuca fasciculataNative on coastal sands from the Atlantic coast of Europe, through the Mediterranean Basin to the southern Black Sea area.
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Rat's-tail Fescue Festuca myuros
Native throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Region, eastwards to the Himalays and India. Plants 10-70cm in height, larger plants tussocky with many stems but single- or few-stemmed in drier sites. Leaf blades 0.5-3mm wide, flat or inrolled, downy above, smooth beneath. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth. Ligule membranous, short to medium. Flower spike narrow and gracefully upright. Spikelets 7-10mm long, with 3-7 florets, loosely spaced in the spike. Lemmas 5-7mm long with a long and slender awn to 15mm in length.
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Tall Fescue Lolium arundinaceum
Native throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Region to Central Asia. Plants 45-200cm in height, often forming tough tussocks, except where regularly mown or grazed. Leaf blades tough, long strap-like, 3-12mm wide, hairless or slightly hairy beneath, tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, wing-like auricles that have a few bristles on their margins. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis. Spikelets 10-18mm with 3-10 florets. Lemmas shortly awned or awnless. The coarse nature of this plant, with its tall flower spikes and tough, strap-like leaves are distinctive features.
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