Festuca

"Helleria" redirects here. For the woodlouse genus, see Helleria (woodlouse).

Festuca
Festuca pratensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Supertribe: Poodae
Tribe: Poeae
Subtribe: Loliinae
Genus: Festuca
Tourn. ex L. (1753)
Synonyms[1]
Synonymy
  • Amphigenes Janka (1860)
  • Anatherum Nábelek (1929), nom. illeg.
  • Argillochloa W.A.Weber (1984)
  • Asprella Host (1809), nom. illeg.
  • Chloamnia Raf. (1825)
  • Ctenopsis De Not. (1847)
  • Dasiola Raf. (1825)
  • Dielsiochloa Pilg. (1943)
  • Distomomischus Dulac (1867)
  • Drymochloa Holub (1984)
  • Festucaria Link (1844), nom. illeg.
  • Festucaria Heist. ex Fabr. (1759)
  • Gramen E.H.L.Krause (1914), nom. illeg.
  • Helleria E.Fourn. (1886), nom. illeg.
  • Hellerochloa Rauschert (1982)
  • Hesperochloa (Piper) Rydb. (1912)
  • Leiopoa Ohwi (1932)
  • Leucopoa Griseb. (1852)
  • Loliolum V.I.Krecz. & Bobrov (1934)
  • Loretia Duval-Jouve (1880)
  • Micropyrum (Gaudin) Link (1844)
  • Mygalurus Link (1821)
  • Nabelekia Roshev. (1937)
  • Narduretia Villar (1925)
  • Narduroides Rouy (1913)
  • Nardurus (Bluff, Nees & Schauer) Rchb. (1841)
  • Podophorus Phil. (1856)
  • Prosphysis Dulac (1867), nom. superfl.
  • Psilurus Trin. (1820)
  • Tragus Panz. (1813), nom. illeg.
  • Vulpia C.C.Gmel. (1805)
  • Wasatchia M.E.Jones (1912), nom. superfl.
  • Zerna Panz. (1813), nom. superfl.

Festuca (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of 10–200 cm (4–79 in) and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica.[2] The genus is closely related to ryegrass (Lolium), and recent evidence from phylogenetic studies using DNA sequencing of plant mitochondrial DNA shows that the genus lacks monophyly. As a result, plant taxonomists have moved several species, including the forage grasses tall fescue and meadow fescue, from the genus Festuca into the genus Lolium,[3] or alternatively into the segregate genus Schedonorus.

Because the taxonomy is complex, scientists have not determined how many true species belong to the genus, but estimates range from more than 400[4] to over 640.[5][6][7]

Fescue pollen is a significant contributor to hay fever.[8]

  1. ^ "Festuca Tourn. ex L." Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference North was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Darbyshire, S J (1993). "Realignment of Festuca subgenus Schedonorus with the genus Lolium (Poaceae)". Novon. 3 (3): 239–243. doi:10.2307/3391460. JSTOR 3391460.
  4. ^ Stančík, Daniel; Peterson, Paul M. (2007). "A Revision of Festuca (Poaceae: Loliinae) in South American Paramos". Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. 56: 1–184. JSTOR 23493233.
  5. ^ Darbyshire, S. J.; Pavlick, L. E. "Festuca". Grass Manual. Flora of North America. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25.
  6. ^ Inda, Luis A.; Segarra-Moragues, José Gabriel; Müller, Jochen; Peterson, Paul M.; Catalán, Pilar (2008). "Dated historical biogeography of the temperate Loliinae (Poaceae, Pooideae) grasses in the northern and southern hemispheres". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 46 (3): 932–957. Bibcode:2008MolPE..46..932I. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.11.022. PMID 18226932.
  7. ^ "Festuca Tourn. ex L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  8. ^ Esch, Robert E.; Hartsell, Cecelia J.; Crenshaw, Rodger; Jacobson, Robert S. (2001). "Common Allergenic Pollens, Fungi, Animals, and Arthropods" (PDF). Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology. 21 (2–3): 261–292. doi:10.1385/criai:21:2-3:261. PMID 11725608. S2CID 10980420. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-14.