草稃羊茅 cao fu yang mao

Festuca ovina Linnaeus subvar. trachyphylla Hackel,Monogr. Festuc. Eur. 91. 1882.

Plant densely tufted; shoots intravaginal. Culms 20–75 cm tall, nodes 1–2. Leaf sheaths glabrous or hairy; auricles present as erect swellings; leaf blades involute, 8–30 cm × 0.4–0.6 mm, veins (5–)7; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma usually forming an interrupted or almost continuous, unevenly thickened ring, occasionally in 3 strands; ligule 0.1–0.3 mm, margin ciliate. Panicle 3–13 cm, branches 1.2–3.5 cm, 1 at lowest node. Spikelets 5.5–10 mm; florets 4–8; glumes pubescent; lower glume 2–4 mm; upper glume 3–5.5 mm; lemmas 3.8–5.5 mm, scabrid or pubescent; awns 0.5–2.5 mm; palea keels scabrid. Anthers 2–3.4 mm. Ovary apex glabrous. 2n = 42.

Perhaps introduced in China [Russia (European part); Europe; introduced in North America].

This commercially available species (Hard Fescue or Sheep Fescue) is widely used in North America and Europe for land stabilization on pipelines, mine tailings, and roadside plantings. It may have been introduced to China for similar purposes, but this has not been confirmed.