Festuca eskia

Festuca eskia , the fescue gispet, is a species of the kind Festuca and of the family of the Poaceae . This fescue is an endemic Pyrenean that one finds in the mountain lawns siliceous and others in steps.

“ Festuca ” would come from the Celtique “fest” meaning “grazing ground” because the kind is frequent in the pastures. “ eskia ” would come from the Spanish “esquiza” and from the Greek “skizeïn” meaning “to split”, because this plant is famous to wound the Mufle or the sides of the cattle.

Description

This Fétuque is a plant Vivace from 20 to 50 cm in height, cespiteuse and social whose Floraison is from July to August and the Pollinisation is carried out by the wind.

Its stock is short, oarswoman and fibrous. Its Sheet S, of a brilliant green to glaucous, is rolled up with the manner of the Jonc S, thick (1 to 1,5 mm) and prickly. The basal sheets are very long, often glabrous arquèes, smooth and . Their Ligule very long (4 to 7 mm) and often is fripée. The Fleur S mixed of green, yellow and purple and are drawn up in Panicule, whose stem is fixed separately or by binomial. The épillet S are rather long (from 8 to 10 mm) and contain 5 to 8 flowers. The Glume S are of size unequal and acute. The lower Glumelle S are lancéolées and very membranous. They carry 5 parallel veins and are prolonged by a short point or one stops. The stock also forms a multitude of sterile rejections leaving the lower sheaths, this phenomenon names “innovation extravaginale”.

Festuca eskia VAr. eskia
Festuca eskia VAr. orientalis “Negro”

hybrid Festuca eskia naturally with Festuca gautieri , it is thus necessary to be attentive with the common and distinctive characters at the time of the determination. In addition, a confusion taken the variety Festuca eskia VAr. flavescens Loscos & J.Pardo for the Subspecies Festuca gautieri subsp. scoparia (Hack. & A.Kern.) Kerguélen.

Ecology

Geographical distribution

The gispet is very common in the the French Pyrenees and Spanish, from where it is endemic. It is present top of the stage collinéen at the alpine stage, from 500 to 3000 m of altitude. These characteristics make of him an endemic orophyte Pyrenean.

Ecological requirements

Festuca eskia is a heliophilous total. It affectionate the acid grounds , containing few bases and very few nutritive elements. It is related to the silts which they are pure, sandy or stony. The Silice belongs to its preferences. As for its water requirements, they are rather average even modest. :

In Ubac, they are lawns mésophiles silicieuses, closed, subalpine and alpine and depressions of the the Pyrenees. Several plants populate this biotope: Arnica Montana , Ranunculus pyrenaeus , Selinum pyrenaeum , Trifolium alpinum , Campanula barbata , Campanula scheuchzeri , Gentiana punctata , Gentiana alpina , Pseudorchis albida , Phyteuma betonicifolium .
In Adret, they are meadows opened, thermophilous, striated, organized in steps retaining the stones, with quasi naked steps in higher and alpine subalpine zones lower of the the Pyrenees, sometimes associated with Carex sempervirens .

These habitats are places privileged by the Vipère S which often shelter under their large tuft, which created hunting grounds interesting for many Rapace S mountain dwellers.

Mushroom endophyte

A study led by INRA showed that there existed at Festuca eskia a gradient of infestation by a Champignon Endophyte in bond with the tolerance with the Sécheresse which it gets for the plant, its frequency decreasing while it progresses towards the Atlantic. This endophyte could prove to be an asset for the revegetalisation on zones very drying like falls. Indeed, this mushroom, used to increase the tolerance with the stress of the Fescue S and Rye-grass, is largely used to increase the success of establishment and the perenniality of the meadows sown with the the United States, in New Zealand and Australia.

Community interest

The alliance of the Festucion eskiae figure on the list of the habitats of European Community interest. However, even if this grouping presents sometimes rich floristic processions, it often poor and is deprived of patrimonial species. Moreover, the lawns with strong covering by the fescue gispet preserve a low pastoral value, because of its weak Apétence. However, J.P. Jouglet recalls that these lawns often occupy an important surface and can, so to represent a consequent share of the fodder resource of the pastoral unit. As an indication, J.P. Jouglet proposes on the mountain pastures with Festuca eskia a loading from 65 to 80 heifers /jour/ha against 80 to 160 ewe /jour/ha. ,

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