''Festuca ligulata'' is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in law ...

known by the common name Guadalupe fescue. There is one population each in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

.''Festuca ligulata''.
The Nature Conservancy. This

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow h ...

perennial grass forms clumps of stems up to 80 centimeters tall. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

is up to about 16 centimeters long and has erect or spreading branches with spikelets near the ends.''Festuca ligulata''.
Grass Manual Treatment. Flowering occurs in August and September. One population of this rare grass can be found in

Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...

in Texas in the United States. This population has no more than about 150 individuals. The other, a larger population, is in

Maderas del Carmen Maderas del Carmen is a biosphere reserve in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. Maderas del Carmen encompasses part of the Sierra del Carmen, a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. The reserve includes both dry Chihuahuan De ...

in Coahuila, Mexico. Another Texas population, in the

Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains ( es, Sierra de Guadalupe) are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, bo ...

, has not been seen since 2002. The status of a second Coahuila population is unknown. A trail runs through the Texas population and the plants may experience trampling by hikers and horses. The species is threatened by

fire suppression Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...

in the park because the grass likely needs periodic small fires to keep the habitat open. The grass may experience grazing, as it is palatable to livestock.''Festuca ligulata''.
Center for Plant Conservation.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5445872 ligulata Flora of Coahuila Flora of Texas Flora of Northern America