Home/Species/ Rough Fescue

Festuca hallii

(Vasey) Piper

Rough Fescue

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.156140

Element CodePMPOA2V1A0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderCyperales

FamilyPoaceae

GenusFestuca

Synonyms

Festuca altaica ssp. hallii(Vasey) V.L. Harms

Other Common Names

Fétuque de Hall (FR) Hall's Fescue (EN) Plains Rough Fescue (EN) plains rough fescue (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

There are competing taxonomic treatments of the Rough Fescue complex. Pavlick and Looman (1984) treat taxa within the complex (Festuca altaica, F. campestris, F. hallii) at a species level. Harms (1985) treats the taxa as subspecies of F. altaica.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2017-12-10

Change Date2017-12-10

Edition AuthorsS.L.Neid, MRO

Range Extent20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 to >300

Rank Reasons

Although Festuca hallii has >100 occurrences across a large geographic range, there has been significant decline and disappearance of fescue prairie with low potential for recovery.

Range Extent Comments

Alberta to southeastern Manitoba and northern North Dakota, extending south along the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Plus disjunct occurrences in Ontario (Thunder Bay District).

Occurrences Comments

20-50 occurrences in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, 3 in Ontario; 5-10 in Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota, and 1 in Colorado.

Threat Impact Comments

Threatened by grazing, competition from exotic species, and habitat disturbance.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Alpine tundra, subalpine grasslands, meadows, grassy slopes, woodland margins.

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Alberta	S5	Yes
Manitoba	S3	Yes
Saskatchewan	S3	Yes
Ontario	S1	Yes

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Colorado	S1	Yes
North Dakota	SNR	Yes
Montana	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	S2	Yes

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

Wyoming (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Middle Fork	Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest	13,238
Sulphur Creek	Shoshone National Forest	30,221

References (12)

Aiken, S.G. and J.L. Riley. 1984. Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper. In: Atlas of the rare vascular plant of Ontario. Eds. Argus and D.E. White. National Museum of Natural History, Ottawa.
Aiken, S.G. and L.P. Lefkovitch. 1984. The taxonomic value of using epidermal characteristcs in the Canadian rough fescue complex (Festuca altaica, F. campestris, F. hallii, "F. scabrella"). Can. J. Botany 62:1864-1870.
Aiken, S. G., and S. J. Darbyshire. 1990. Fescue grasses of Canada. Agriculture Canada Publication 1844/E.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2007a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 24. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 1. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxviii + 911 pp.
Greenall, Jason. Botanist/Ecologist, Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Department of Natural Resources, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Personal communication with S.L.Neid, November 6, 1997.
Harms, V.L. 1985. A reconsideration of the nomenclature and taxonomy of the Festuca altaica complex (Poaceae) in North America. Madrono 32:1-10.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Lamont, Shiela. Botanist, Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre, SK Environment & Resource Management, Regina, SK Canada. Email communication of 12-4-97, to S.L.Neid, MRO.
Pavlick, L.E. and J. Looman. 1984. Taxonomy and nomenclature of rough fescues, Festuca altaica, F. campestris (P. scabrella var. major), and F. hallii, in Canada and the adjacent part of United States. Can J. Botany 62:1739-1749.
Romo, J.T. 1996. Seed age-germination relationships in plains rough fescue, Festuca altaica subspecies hallii. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 110:294-297.
Toynbee, K. 1987. Prolific flowering year for Plains Rough Fescue at the Kernen Prairie. Blue Jay 45:142-143.
Trottier, G.C. 1986. Disruption of rough fescue, Festuca hallii, grassland by livestock grazing in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 100(4):488-495.