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Montana Field Guide

Montana Field Guides

Northern Fescue - Festuca viviparoidea
Other Names:  Festuca vivipara, Festuca ovina var. vivipara

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Species of Concern

Global Rank: G4G5
State Rank: S2?
* (see State Rank Reason below)

Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
MNPS Threat Rank: 3
C-value:

External Links

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.
  • Details on Status Ranking and Review
    Northern Fescue (Festuca viviparoidea) Conservation Status Review
    Review Date =
 
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 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Species Range
Present
 


Range Comments
Collected in Glacier County. AK to Greenland south to BC, MT and WY; Asia (Lavin in Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 21

(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

References
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Citation for data on this website:
Northern Fescue — Festuca viviparoidea.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from