Evaluation of the decorative value of wild-grown Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Krajina in the southeastern part of Poland

The decorative value of 24 fescue (Festuca trachyphylla) ecotypes from natural habitats in the Lublin region was assessed in the years 2004-2011. Plants with desirable ornamental characteristics were selected and the cuttings were planted in experimental plots in the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University Botanical Garden in Lublin, where they grew in uniform habitat conditions. During the study years, 18 morphological traits that determine the decorative value of grasses were analysed; 11 quantitative traits (length and number of the culm, length of the panicle, number of spikelets in the panicle, number of vegetative stems, length, width and thickness of the leaf blade, length and width of the cauline leaf and diameter of the tuft) and seven qualitative traits (plant growth habit, greenness index of the leaf blade [SPAD], winter greenness, culm colour, waxy coating on the leaf blade, flowering periods and plant condition after 8 years). The analysis of quantitative and qualitative traits demonstrated that F. trachyphylla is a morphologically variable species. The variability is mainly manifested in the inflorescence morphology, length of the leaf blades and number of culms, which have been statistically corroborated by the results of the ANOVA analysis. A considerable degree of variability was also exhibited by plant habit, colour of leaves and culm, wax deposits on the leaves and flowering period. The high morphological variability of this species allowed for the selection of two interesting types among the plant individuals studied, which were characterised by desirable decorative traits. The most decorative features of the selected ecotypes include the shape and colour of the leaves and the plant habit.