Northeast Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Festuca obtusa Biehler
- Family: Grass (Gramineae)
- Flowering: May-July
- Field Marks: This fescue differs from all others by its flat leaf blades, lemmas less than 1/6 inch long, and inflorescences that are spreading or nodding at maturity.
- Habitat: Moist woods.
- Habit: Tufted perennial herb with fibrous roots.
- Stems: Upright, unbranched, to 3 feet tall, smooth or very short-hairy.
- Leaves: Elongated, flat, 1/8-1/2 inch wide, smooth except for the rough veins; sheaths smooth or short-hairy; ligules membranous, short, jagged along the top edge.
- Flowers: Borne in spikelets in a branched, spreading or nodding inflorescence 5-10 inches long; spikelets 2- to 5-flowered, 1/6-1/3 inch long; awns none.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth.
- Fruits: Ellipsoid, smooth.
- Notes: According to Gleason and Cronquist the name of this plant is F. subverticillata in the Poaceae.
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