Common name: Graceful Fescue
Festuca asperula Vickery APNI* 
Description: Rhizomatous tufted perennial to 0.9 m high.
Leaves with ligule membranous, to 0.5 mm long, obtuse; auricles membranous, rounded; blade tightly rolled, bristle-like, often scabrous, glabrous or pubescent with hairs c. 0.25 mm long.
Inflorescence open, 10–21 cm long, to 9 cm wide, exserted. Spikelets 5–23 mm long; florets 3–12, uppermost floret often reduced or rachilla extended as a sterile projection to 2 mm long; pedicel 0.5–23 mm long. Glumes unequal, awnless, keeled, nerves sometimes scabrous, glabrous; lower 3–5 mm long; upper 4.5–6 mm long. Lemmas 5–8 mm long, mucronate or tapering to an awn, round on back or upper 50% keeled, smooth, or keel and nerves scabrous; awn terminal, straight, to 5 mm long, scabrous; callus glabrous or pilose with hairs to 0.5 mm long. Palea subequal to lemma.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in montane woodland or grassland; south from Guyra district.
NSW subdivisions: CC, SC, NT, ?CT, ST, NWS, CWS
Other Australian states: Vic. Tas.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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