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Northern Fescue - Festuca viviparoidea
Other Names:
Festuca vivipara, Festuca ovina var. vivipara
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Rare in Montana, where it is only know from a few sites in Glacier National park. Population numbers are apparently very low. However, the species generally occurs in areas and habitats that either are not susceptible or not experiencing negative impacts.
General Description
Perennial bunchgrass. Stems 10–25 cm. Leaves: blades ca. 1 mm wide. Inflorescence a narrow panicle 3–5 cm long. Spikelets of variable length depending on number and size of the vegetative bulblets. Lemmas uncommon, sometimes awn-tipped (Lavin in
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Collected in Glacier County. AK to Greenland south to BC, MT and WY; Asia (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 22
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Grows in moist alpine tundra.
Ecological Systems Associated with this Species
- Commonly Associated with these Ecological Systems
Alpine Systems
Stewardship Responsibility
Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON
Reported threats to Montana's populations of Northern Fescue include potential impacts due to trampling by hikers at populations in Glacier National Park (MTNHP Threat Assessment 2021). However, severity of impacts is unlikely to lead to population decline in a 10-year time frame.
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
MTNHP Threat Assessment. 2021. State Threat Score Assignment and Assessment of Reported Threats from 2006 to 2021 for State-listed Vascular Plants. Botany Program, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Northern Fescue"
