- You are here:
- Full Key
- Grass-like plants
- True grasses
- Festuca subverticillata
Festuca subverticillata — nodding fescue
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Nodding fescue is native to rich, moist forests, usually over neutral to basic bedrock. The Iroquois used the crushed roots to make a decocotion for the treatment of heart disease.
Habitat
Forests
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 3–10 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 4–7 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.2–2 mm
- Anther length
- 0.8–2.2 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.8–2.2 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret number
- 2–6
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume keel
- the glume keels are rough or hairy
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is V-shaped in cross-section
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- Glumes per spikelet
- 2
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis hairs
- the inflorescence axis is hairy but not rough or sand-papery feeling
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis bends downwards or hangs
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- Inflorescence branch length
- 1.5–13.5 cm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence branches coming off the lowest stem node
- 2–3
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very spread out, with clearly-evident branches
- Inflorescence length
- 130–250 mm
- Inflorescence length to width ratio
- 13–20.8
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Inflorescence width
- 10–12 mm
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn coiled
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma awn orientation
- NA
- Lemma base hair length
- 0 mm
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma is hairless or feels just a tiny bit rough at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
-
- the lemma has fine hairs between the veins
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma keel hairs
- NA
- Lemma marginal vein hairs
-
- NA
- the marginal vein of the lemma is hairless
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma tip shape
-
- the lemma tip tapers to a broad point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
- the lemma tip tapers to a narrow point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 1
- 5
- Lemma vein orientation
- the veins on the lemma come together near the tip
- Lower glume length
- 2.5–3.5 mm
- Lower glume relative length
-
- the lower glume is nearly as long, or as long as, the upper glume
- the lower glume is one third to three quarters as long as the upper glume
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea length
- 3.5–5 mm
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- the spikelet breaks off above the glumes, so that after the florets fall off, the glumes remain
- Spikelet length
- 4–7 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- Up to 0
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets have pedicels
- Spikelet position
- the spikelets emerge mainly from the upper halves of the inflorescence branches
- Spikelet shape
-
- the spikelets are elliptic (widest in the middle, tapering to the ends) in profile
- the spikelets are lanceolate (lance-shaped, widest below the middle and tapering narrowly to the ends) in profile
- the spikelets are ovate (egg-shaped, widest below the middle with rounded ends) in profile
- Spikelet width
- 2–4 mm
- Spikelets per panicle branch
- 2–7
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
- the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
- Upper glume length
- 3–4.7 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- the upper glume is more than one half as long as the lowest lemma
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Fruits or seeds
- Groove on seed
- the caryopsis has a groove running most of its length
- Seed length
- 3.8–4.2 mm
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizomes
- no
- Roots
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has few or no leaves coming from the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf basal lobe hairy
- NA
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- the leaf blade is hairy
- Leaf blade length
- 10–30 cm
- Leaf blade texture
-
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- the leaf blade is smooth, or it may have soft hairs
- Leaf blade width
- 3–10 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.2–2 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are fused together and form a closed tube except (possibly) at the very top
- Leaf sheath color and persistence
- the leaf sheathes are reddish-brown and disintegrate or become shredded in older leaves
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Orientation of topmost leaf
- the flag leaf is held upright, or at less than a 45 degree angle out from the stem
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- forests
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 40–150 cm
- Stem hairs
-
- the stem has hairs on it
- the stem is nearly to completely hairless
- Stem orientation
-
- the stems are upright
- the stems trail at the base, but turn upwards at the tips
- Stem spacing
-
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4S5)
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
6. Festuca subverticillata (Pers.) Alexeev N
nodding fescue. Festuca obtusa Biehler • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Rich, mesic forests, often associated with colluvial deposits or cicumneutral to basic bedrock.