Preliminary checklist of the genus Festuca L. (Loliinae, Pooideae, Poaceae) in the Altai Mountains with outlines for further studies

Abstract

Here we present an updated checklist of the genus Festuca in the Altai Mountains (AM). The study was carried out on the abundant herbarium material and considered the latest published phylogenetic analyses. Festuca was revised within the scope of the fine-leaved group (clade) with two sections, sect. Aulaxyper and sect. Festuca. Two species, namely F. richardsonii and F. lenensis, were previously misidentified and are not present in the AM. Festuca brevissima is a new record for the Russian part of the AM and for the flora of Mongolia. In total, our revision shows that 17 species of fine-leaved fescues are present in the area of AM. In this paper, we provide a key to species identification, as well as illustrations of plants, habits, leaves, spikelets, and glumes. Information on nomenclature types, synonymy, flowering period, chromosome numbers, habitats, and general distribution along with distribution maps of the particular species within the AM are included.