Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Festuca hitchcockianus
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Cool
Warm
Dry open forest and moist streambanks.
Plant Community
Desert Scrub
Grasslands
Interior Chaparral
Montane Conifer Forest
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Riparian
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
6500
General Description
A cool season perennial bunchgrass with stems up to 4 feet high and thick chalky blue to green foliage.
Densely tufted perennial with gracefully drooping, narrow, folded or rolled, dull-green to blue-green leaves. Collar is generally densely hairy, persistent dead leaf sheaths at bases. Leaf sheaths open at least 1/2 their length, smooth or slightly hairy.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
Greater than 36 inches
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
July
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
The seedhead is open, sparsely branched and 4 to 12 inches long. The branches usually occur in pairs. Spikelets are 4 to 6 flowered.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
Yes
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Leaf blades are 4 to 39 inches long and narrow. Leaves are primarily basal, flat or rolled, firm, and rough to the touch. Leaves are greenish-gray and sometimes purple tinged.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
Yes
Ligule
Hairy
Auricles
Yes
Fair.