''Festuca rubra'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
known by the common name red fescue
or creeping red fescue. It is widespread across much of the
Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in cool, temperate climates; it prefers shadier areas and is often planted for its shade tolerance.
Wild animals browse it, but it has not been important for domestic forage due to low productivity and palatability.
[ It is also an ]ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
for gardens.
Description
''Festuca rubra'' is perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
and has sub-species that have rhizomes and/or form bunchgrass
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...
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
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...
. The swards that it forms are not as tufted as sheep's fescue
''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla'').
General description
It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...
(''Festuca ovina'') or wavy hair grass (''Deschampsia flexuosa
''Deschampsia flexuosa'', commonly known as wavy hair-grass, is a species of bunchgrass in the grass family widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and North America.
Description
Wavy hair-grass, ''Deschampsia flexuosa'', has wiry ...
''). The tufted nature is what gives the grass its springy characteristic. The leaves are bright green.
There are 4 to 10 spikelet
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...
flowers, which are up to 15 mm long.
The ligule is very short and blunt.
Cultivation
''Festuca rubra'', as red fescue or creeping red fescue, is cultivated as an ornamental plant for use as a turfgrass
A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. ...
and groundcover. It can be left completely unmowed, or occasionally trimmed for a lush meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...
-like look. There are many subspecies, and many cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s have been bred for the horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
trade.
File:Gewoon roodzwenkgras tongetje (Festuca rubra var. commutata ligula).jpg, The ligule is very short and blunt.
Image:Festuca.rubra.2.jpg, ''Festuca rubra''
See also
*Native grasses of California
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and enterta ...
References
External links
Festuca Rubra
detailed ecology at the Fire Effects Information System, US Forest Service
*
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Festuca rubra''
"Tips for Fine Fall Fescue"
article at Learn2Grow.com
USDA Plants Profile – Festuca rubra
rubra
Grasses of North America
Grasses of Asia
Grasses of Europe
Native grasses of California
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Garden plants of North America
Drought-tolerant plants
Groundcovers
Lawn grasses
{{Pooideae-stub