Tufted perennial without rhizomes; culms 10-40(-50)cm high, erect, slender. Leaf-blades folded-setaceous, up to 15cm long, scabrid on the lower (outer) surface, glaucous- pruinose, with 3 sclerenchyma strands, 1 on the keel and 1 along each margin, 5-nerved; ligule a narrow rim 0.3-0.5mm long. Panicle narrowly oblong, 3.5-12cm long, contracted, the branches ascending, ± appressed to the main axis, scabrid. Spikelets (3-)5-7-flowered, (4-)5-6(-7.5)mm long (excluding the awns); lower glume 2-3.5mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume 3-5mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas narrowly oblong-elliptic in side-view, (2.8-)3.2-4.2 (-4.7)mm long, scabrid in the upper part, with an awn 1-3mm long; palea-keels scabrid above, smooth below; anthers 2-3mm long; ovary glabrous.

Lower Taxa

• Festuca valesiaca subsp. hypsophila (St.-Yves) Tzvelev
• Festuca valesiaca subsp. valesiaca

Related Synonym(s):

• Festuca ovina subsp. sulcata var. hypsophila St.-Yves = Festuca valesiaca subsp. hypsophila (St.-Yves) Tzvelev
• Festuca ovina var. valesiaca (Schleich. ex Gaud.) Link = Festuca valesiaca subsp. valesiaca