Festuca quadriflora

Festuca quadriflora is a densely tufted perennial alpine grass of the Poaceae family forming low, compact cushions 5-20 cm tall, with numerous slender intravaginal innovations. Culms are erect, smooth, terete and almost leafless above. The basal leaves are very narrow, setaceous and somewhat rigid, 2-8 cm long and only 0.3-0.6 mm wide when folded, with a smooth or slightly scabrous abaxial surface and a sclerenchyma pattern characteristic of the F. quadriflora group; ligules are very short truncate membranes 0.2-0.5 mm long with auricle-like lateral extensions. The inflorescence is a compact, narrow, ovoid panicle 1-4 cm long bearing relatively few spikelets, each 6-9 mm long and containing 3-5 florets. Glumes are unequal, lanceolate and acute, the upper roughly equalling the adjacent lemma. Lemmas are 4-6 mm long, glabrous to slightly scabrous, with a short apical mucro or short awn up to 1.5 mm. The caryopsis is small and adheres to the persistent lemma and palea. Native to the European Alps and Carpathians, growing on stony calcareous slopes, screes and short alpine swards at high elevations.