Festuca gigantea

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Poales

Familia: Poaceae
Subfamilia: Pooideae
Tribus: Festuceae
Subtribus: Loliinae
Genus: Festuca
Species: Festuca gigantea
Name

Festuca gigantea (L.) Vill.
Synonyms

Avena flaccida Hack. ex Hook.f.
Avena gigantea (L.) Salisb.
Bromus aquaticus Schrank
Bromus bonassorum Bornm.
Bromus giganteus L.
Bromus giganteus var. depauperatus Mutel
Bromus giganteus var. hispidus Mutel
Bromus giganteus var. triflorus Sweet
Bromus giganteus var. villosus Koeler
Bromus gyganteus Crantz
Bromus longifolius Lyons
Bromus scheuchzeri C.C.Gmel. [Illegitimate]
Bromus strigosus Lam.
Bromus triflorus L.
Bucetum giganteum Parn.
Drymonaetes giganteus Fourr.
Festuca bonassorum Bornm.
Festuca gigantea var. arcana Stepanov
Festuca gigantea f. minor Kuvaev
Festuca gigantea f. triflora (L.) Hiitonen
Festuca gigantea f. uliginosa (Schur) Beldie
Festuca gigantea var. uliginosa Schur
Festuca pseudogigantea Ovcz. & Shibkova
Festuca triflora (L.) Sm. [Illegitimate]
Forasaccus giganteus (L.) Bubani
Lolium giganteum (L.) Darbysh.
Schedonorus giganteus (L.) Holub
Trisetum flaccidum (Hack. ex Hook.f.) R.R.Stewart
Zerna gigantea (L.) Panz. ex B.D.Jacks.

References

Hist. pl. Dauphiné 2:110. 1787
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. [1]
Flora Europaea [2]
Govaerts, R. et al. 2017. Festuca gigantea in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2017 Aug 30. Reference page.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Riesen-Schwingel
English: Giant Fescue
suomi: Lehtonata

Festuca gigantea, or giant fescue, is a plant species in the grass family, Poaceae. Because this and other members of Festuca subgenus Schedonorus have more in common morphologically with members of the genus Lolium than with Festuca and often produce fertile hybrids with other Lolium species, Festuca gigantea has been recently published as Lolium giganteum (L.) Darbysh. (1993) and then as Schedonorus giganteus (L.) Holub (1998).[1][2][3] Sources vary as to which placement is more acceptable.[4][5][6][7]

Description
distinctive purple leaf node/junction
ligule showing distinctive auricle
base of the plant

This grass can grow up to 2 metres. It is loosely tufted, hairless, and has auricles. It has dark red-purple leaf nodes, and there are six 8–13 mm long spikelets. Festuca Gigantea have long awns, forming flowers during the July to August period.

It is a common plant found especially on heavy, neutral and calcerous soils, in woodland, hedge banks and shady places.[8] It is said to grow best in moist woods.

Festuca gigantea produces fertile hybrids with perennial ryegrass and italian ryegrass,[9] hence the confusion with its phylogeny and identification.
Nutrition value

Cattle and horses will readily eat its abundant foliage.
Similar species

Festuca altissima also known as Wood Fescue, is similar but is found in rocky woods, has spikelets which droop much more but are half as long, and ligules 3mm long.[10]
References

"Stephen J. Darbyshire, Schedonorus treatment in Grass Manual on the Web (updated 2009)". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
R.J.Soreng, et al. (2012) A World-Wide Phylogenic Classification of Poaecea (Gramineae): căo (草), capim, çayır, çimen, darbha, ghaas, ghas, gish, gramas, graminius, gräser, grasses, gyokh, he-ben-ke, hullu, kasa, kusa, nyasi, pastos, pillu, pullu, zlaki, etc. (rev. 18 Oct 2012) (includes Schedonorus in Lolium in subtrib. Loliinae)
Stephen J. Darbyshire (1993). "Realignment of Festuca subgenus Schedonorus with the genus Lolium (Poaceae)". Novon. 3 (3): 239–243. doi:10.2307/3391460. JSTOR 3391460.
Schedonorus giganteus (L.) Holub, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database, 2013-02-27
"Festuca gigantea". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2013-02-27.
Schedonorus giganteus (L.) Holub, Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), 2013-02-27
Lolium giganteum (L.) Darbysh., Catalogue of New World Grasses, Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 2013-02-27
page 408, Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland, by Marjorie Blamey, Richard Fitter, Alastair Fitter, published 2003, ISBN 0-7136-5944-0
page 46, Collins Pocket Guide Grasses Sedeges Rushes and Ferns of Britain and Northern Europe, by R Fitter, A Fitter, A Farrer, published 1995, ISBN 0-00-219136-9
page 27 The Observers book of Grasses, Sedges and Rushes, by Francis Rose, published 1976, ISBN 0 7232 1533 2