Festuca rubra

Festuca rubra
Red Fescue
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Festuca
Species: F. rubra
Binomial name
Festuca rubra
L.

Festuca rubra is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates; it generally needs full sun to thrive. It is a nutritious and palatable forage grass for domestic and wild animals, and an ornamental plant for gardens.

Contents

Description

Festuca rubra is perennial and has sub-species forms that have rhizomes and/or forms bunchgrass tufts. It mainly exists in neutral and acidic soils. It can grow between 2 and 20 cm tall.

Like all fescues, the leaves are narrow and needle like, making it less palatable to livestock The swards that it forms are not as tufted as Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina) or wavy hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa). The tufted nature is what gives the grass its springy characteristic. The leaves are bright green.

There are 4 to 10 spikelet flowers, which are up to 15mm long.

The ligule is very short and blunt.[1]

Spikelets and flowers

Cultivation

Festuca rubra, as red fescue or creeping red fescue, is cultivated as an ornamental plant for use as a turfgrass and groundcover. It can be left completely unmowed, or occasionally trimmed for a lush meadow-like look. There are many subspecies, and many cultivars have been bred for the horticulture trade.

See also

  • Native grasses of California

References

  1. ^ Identification, UK: BSBI, http://www.bsbi.org.uk/identification.html, retrieved 2010-11-16 .

External links


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