Home/Species/ Rough Fescue

Festuca altaica

Trin.

Rough Fescue

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.139850

Element CodePMPOA2V020

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

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

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderCyperales

FamilyPoaceae

GenusFestuca

Other Common Names

Altai fescue (EN) Altai Fescue (EN) Fétuque de l'Altaï (FR) Northern 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

Festuca scabrella is included in the synonymy of F. altaica by Kartesz (1999) but was in the synomymy of F. campestris here by Kartesz (1994) and FNA (vol. 24, 2007). Michigan (Voss 1972) and eastern Canadian reports are now considered by Kartesz (pers. comm. June 1997 to LEM) to belong to F. altaica, rather than to F. campestris.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2016-02-03

Change Date1997-06-08

Edition Date2002-09-05

Edition AuthorsOlivero, A.

Rank Reasons

Widespread and common in the far northwest and also scattered in northeastern North America.

Range Extent Comments

Occurs in far northwestern North America from Alaska to Mackenzie south to British Columbia and Alberta and in northeastern North America from Newfoundland to Quebec and Michigan (disjunct) (Kartesz 1999). Also occurs in Russia.

Threat Impact Comments

In Michigan, excessive grazing and late spring burns may threaten this species (Higman and Penskar 1996).

Ecology & Habitat

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Nunavut	S2	Yes
Quebec	S3	Yes
Yukon Territory	S5	Yes
Labrador	S1	Yes
Nova Scotia	S1	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Island of Newfoundland	S2	Yes
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
Alberta	S3	Yes

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Michigan	S2	Yes
Alaska	SNR	Yes

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

Alaska (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Johnson Pass	Chugach National Forest	152,508

References (7)

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.
Harms, V. L. 1985. A reconsideration of the nomenclature and taxonomy of the <i>Festuca altaica</i> complex (Poaceae) in North America. Madrono 32(1):1-10.
Higman, P.J. and M.R. Penskar. 1996. Special plant abstract for Festuca scabrella (rough fescue). Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing.
Hulten, E. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories. Stanford Univ. Press, Palo Alto, CA. 1008 pp.
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.
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Moss, E.H. 1994. Flora of Alberta. Second Edition revised by J.G. Packer. University of Toronto Press, Toronto.