Festuca minutiflora

Small-flowered fescue

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Small-flowered fescue is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada and White Mountains in moist, shady banks at elevations of 2,850 to 4,050 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces delicate, narrow grass-like flower clusters 1 to 4 centimeters long. Growing in loosely tufted clumps 4 to 30 centimeters tall with nodes mostly concealed, it forms compact grass clusters. Its leaves are extremely fine, less than 0.5 millimeters wide, folded and often V-shaped in cross-section, creating soft, narrow green blades 2 to 12 centimeters long. Its tiny spikelets measure 2.5 to 5 millimeters with short awns 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters long.

Habitat: Moist, shady banks

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: 2850-4050 m

Bioregions: c SNH (Mount Dana, Tuolumne, Mono cos.), W&ampI (White Mtns)

California counties: Inyo, Mono, Tuolumne, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.