Festuca rubra subsp. commutata

Festuca rubra subsp. commutata
Chewing's Fescue
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Festuca
Species: F. rubra
Subspecies: F. rubra subsp. commutata
Trinomial name
Festuca rubra subsp. commutata
Gaudin

Festuca rubra subsp. commutata, commonly known as Chewing's Fescue, is a species of grass. It is a perennial plant very common in lawns throughout Europe. The plant features filamentous leaves, with the leaf rolled in the shoot. It is a bunchgrass without rhizomes.

Cultivation

In a lawn, Chewing's Fescue has a very high shoot density and fine appearance, high tolerance to low temperatures, and very good visual merit. It is tolerant of acidic soils, shows high shade tolerance (under light wear), very resistant to common turf diseases and requires minimal water and fertiliser.

These properties make it an ideal constituent in lawn turfs, where it is often found mixed with ryegrass, smooth-stalked meadow grass, slender creeping red fescue and bent grasses. It is not particularly tolerant of heavy wear or very close mowing (<5mm), however.