Derivation
Festuca L., Sp. Pl. 73 (1753); Festuca: Latin for culm, stem or straw; also the name for a weed growing among barley.

muelleri- in honour of Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich Mueller (1825–1896). German-born Australian botanist.

Published in
Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 1: 9–10 (1939).

Habit
Perennial, tufted. Young shoots extravaginal. Culms erect, 53–169 cm tall, 2–4-noded. Mid-culm internodes antrorsely scabrous. Mid-culm nodes brown, glabrous. Lateral branches branched. Leaf-sheaths striately nerved, antrorsely scabrous, glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or present. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane, 0.9–5.5 mm long, 0.4–1.7 mm long on basal shoots, obtuse. Leaf-blades aciculate or linear, flat or conduplicate or involute or convolute, 15–49 cm long, 4.3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed, scabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

Inflorescence
Inflorescence compound, a panicle. Panicle open, ovate, 14.5–29 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading or drooping, 2-nate, sparsely divided, 4–9 cm long. Panicle axis scaberulous. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets
Spikelets solitary. Pedicels 4–10 mm long, scabrous. Fertile spikelets many flowered, comprising 3–6(–7) fertile florets, with diminished florets at the apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 10–16.5 mm long, breaking up at maturity. Spikelets disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1.5 mm long, scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous or pubescent.

Glumes
Glumes persistent, similar. Lower glume lanceolate, 4.3–8 mm long, 100% length of upper glume, chartaceous, much thinner on margins, 1–5-nerved, midnerve scabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong, 4.9–8.7 mm long, 80–100% of length of adjacent fertile lemma, chartaceous, with membranous margins, 3–5-nerved, midnerve scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate, laterally compressed or dorsally compressed, 8.5–11 mm long, chartaceous, keeled above, 5-nerved. Lemma midnerve thickened. Lemma lateral nerves prominent. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute, muticous. Palea 8.5–10.2 mm long, 100% of length of lemma, 2-nerved. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea surface scaberulous. Palea apex dentate, 2-fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Anthers 3, linear, 3.5–5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Grain with adherent pericarp, ellipsoid or obovoid or oblanceolate, grooved, 5 mm long.

Continental Distribution:
Australasia.

Australian Distribution:
New South Wales, Victoria.

New South Wales: Northern Tablelands, Southern Tablelands. Victoria: Eastern Highlands, Snowfields, East Gippsland.

Classification. (GPWG 2001):
Pooideae: Poeae

Notes
Endemic. Disjunct distribution in the Barrington Tops, NSW, and the Australian Alps. Occurs in sub-alpine eucalypt woodlands amongst rocks, often in association with Eucalyptus pauciflora. Flowers Dec.–Mar. Fruits Jan.–Apr.