Festuca brachyphylla, commonly known as alpine fescue or short-leaved fescue, is a grass native to Eurasia, North America, and the Arctic. The grass is used for erosion control and revegetation. The specific epithet brachyphylla means "short-leaved". The grass has a diploid number of 28, 42, or 44. This species was first described in 1827.[1]
Festuca brachyphylla is a bright green perennial grass that is tufted or loosely cespitose and erect, growing without rhizomes. The grass has slender, low growing culms measuring NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) tall that can reach 55cm (22inches) when the grass is cultivated. The culms are glabrous and somewhat scabrous, becoming more puberulent towards the inflorescence, and are occasionally tinged purple at their base. The smooth or scabrous leaf sheaths are closed for half of their length. The sheaths remain at the basal tuft when dead. The ligules measure NaNmm. The capillary leaf blade are long and soft, measuring NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) long and NaNmm wide, and arise from the basal tuft. The inflorescences are typically cylindrical or ovoid panicles that are NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) long, though they can occasionally be racemes. The panicles have one to two erect branches at each node that sometimes become spreading during anthesis. The pedicellate spikelets are purplish or bronze. The spikelets measure NaNmm, each with two to four florets. The glabrous glumes are ovate to lanceolate and are much shorter than the spikelets. The lower glumes are NaNmm and the upper glumes are NaNmm. The elliptical or lanceolate lemmas are membranous and become scabrous towards their apex. The lemmas are NaNmm long. The terminal awns are NaNmm long. The paleas are NaNmm long. The anthers are NaNmm long.[2] [3] These short anthers distinguish the species from Festuca ovina.[4]
The spikelets are colored red to purple by anthocyanin pigments.[3]
The plant flowers from late June into July.[2]
Festuca brachyphylla is circumpolar and alpine, occurring in North America throughout Canada and along the Rocky Mountains, growing as far south as New Mexico and California.[5]
Festuca brachyphylla grows in rocky places at high altitudes, from NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet). It occurs in wet meadows, along streams, on riverbeds, on dry gravel, and on dry slopes.[6]