''Festuca'' (fescue) is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
s belonging to the grass
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Poaceae (subfamily
Pooideae). They are
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
or
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition ...
perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a
cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest co ...
.
[ The genus is closely related to ryegrass (''Lolium''), and recent evidence from ]phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
studies using DNA sequencing of plant mitochondrial DNA shows that the genus lacks monophyly. As a result, plant taxonomists have moved several species, including the forage grasses tall fescue and meadow fescue, from the genus ''Festuca'' into the genus ''Lolium'', or alternatively into the segregate genus '' Schedonorus''.
Because the taxonomy is complex, scientists have not determined how many true species belong to the genus, but estimates range from more than 400 to over 640.[Darbyshire, S. J. and L. E. Pavlick]
''Festuca''.
Grass Manual. Flora of North America.
Fescue pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...
is a significant contributor to hay fever.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Festuca'' represents a major evolutionary line of the tribe Poeae. The ancient group has produced various segregates that possess more advanced characteristics than ''Festuca'', including racemose inflorescences and more annual habits.
The word "'' festuca''" is a Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
word meaning "stem" or "stalk" first used by Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ...
to describe a weed.[ The word ''Festuca'' first appears to describe grasses in Dodoens' "Stirpium historiae pemptades sex, sive libri XXX" in 1583. However, the plant Dodoens described as ''Festuca altera'' is truly '' Bromus secalinus''. Other authors before ]Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...
used the name to describe other various species of ''Bromus
''Bromus'' is a large genus of grasses, classified in its own tribe Bromeae. They are commonly known as bromes, brome grasses, cheat grasses or chess grasses. Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 10 ...
''. In the first edition of "Genera Plantarum", Linnaeus describes seven species of ''Festuca'', five of which are truly ''Bromus'' grasses with the other two being '' Festuca gigantea'' and '' Festuca pratensis''. In 1753 the genus is accepted as first being formally described, in Linnaeus' "Species Plantarum". Eleven species were described, with '' F. ovina'' being the type species. Of these eleven, one species was ''Danthonia
''Danthonia'' is a genus of Eurasian, North African, and American plants in the grass family. Members of this genus are sometimes referred to as oatgrass, but that common name is not restricted to this genus. Other common names include heathgr ...
'', one ''Poa
''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass (mainly in Europe and Asia), bluegrass (mainly in North America), tussock (some New Zealand species), a ...
'', and one '' Koeleria''. The first major monograph on the genus was Hackel's "Monographia Festucarum Europaearum" in 1882. Since Linnaeus' publications, seven genera have been proposed for groups of perennial fescues and fifteen for annual fescues, all with varying degrees of acceptance. For example, in 1906 the subgenus '' Vulpia'' was introduced for North American species. The annual habit and shorter anthers of ''Vulpia'' has since been enough to distinguish ''Vulpia'' as a separate genus from ''Festuca''.
The taxonomy of the genus is ultimately problematic and controversial, as evidenced by the large number of small genera closely related to ''Festuca''. Often distinguishing species within the genus requires the analysis of highly specific morphological differences on characters such as ovary pubescence or leaf sclerenchyma patterns. This distribution of sclerenchyma tissue is an important distinguishing character between species, and though species can be locally distinguished without analyzing these characteristics, to distinguish the genus as a whole the analysis is necessary.[
]
Description
''Festuca'' grasses are perennial and bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, wh ...
plants that are densely to loosely cespitose. Some grasses are rhizomatous, some lack rhizomes, and rarely species are stoloniferous. The culms of the grasses are typically glabrous and smooth, though some species have scabrous culms or culms that are pubescent below the inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...
s. The leaf sheaths range from open to the base to closed to the top. Some species have sheaths that persist over years and typically have deciduous blades, and some species have sheaths that quickly shred into fibers and decay in senescence
Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence inv ...
and typically have blades that are not deciduous. Species lack auricles. The membranous
A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...
ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many Poaceae, grasses (Poaceae) and Cyperaceae, sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the corolla ...
s measure and are typically longest at the margins. The ligules are typically truncate and ciliate
The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a differen ...
, though they can occasionally be acute or erose
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
. The flat and conduplicate leaf blades are involute
In mathematics, an involute (also known as an evolvent) is a particular type of curve that is dependent on another shape or curve. An involute of a curve is the locus of a point on a piece of taut string as the string is either unwrapped from o ...
or convolute and are sometimes glaucous or pruinose. The abaxial surfaces of leaf blades are glabrous or scabrous and occasionally pubescent or puberulent
Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...
. The adaxial surfaces of leaf blades are typically scabrous, though occasionally are hirsute or puberulent. The abaxial sclerenchyma tissue forms longitudinal strands that vary in presence from the margins and opposite of the midvein to adjacent to some or every lateral vein. These longitudinal strands occasionally merge into interrupted or continuous bands. Bands of confluent strands that reach veins are known as "pillars". The adaxial sclerenchyma tissue sometimes forms strands that are opposite or extend to epidermal veins. Some strands form "girders" together with the abaxial sclerenchyma tissue that connect epidermides at some or all veins.
The inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...
s of species are open or contracted panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...
s, occasionally raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...
s, with one to two (rarely three) branches at their lower node. The branches are erect and begin to spread during anthesis, and occasionally lower branches are reflexed. The spikelets have two to twelve mostly bisexual florets. The rachilla Rachilla may refer to the following topics in botany:
* Rachilla (floral axis)
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 spikele ...
s are typically either scabrous or pubescent, but can occasionally be smooth and glabrous. The subequal or unequal glume
In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grasses (Poaceae) or the flowers of sedges (Cyperaceae). There are two other types of bracts in the spikelets of grasses: the lemma ...
s are ovate to lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...
, acute to acuminate, and are typically exceeded by the florets. The lower glumes are as long or shorter than their adjacent lemma
Lemma may refer to:
Language and linguistics
* Lemma (morphology), the canonical, dictionary or citation form of a word
* Lemma (psycholinguistics), a mental abstraction of a word about to be uttered
Science and mathematics
* Lemma (botany), a ...
s and have one (rarely two or three) veins, and the upper glumes have three (rarely four or five) veins. The calli are typically glabrous and smooth, but can be occasionally scabrous or rarely pubescent. The chartaceous
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
or sometimes coriaceous lemmas have somewhat dorsally rounded and distally keeled bases. The lemmas typically have five (rarely six or seven) veins. The lemmas have acute to attenuate apices that are occasionally doubly pointed, and terminal awns or mucros. The bidentate paleas are shorter to longer than the lemmas, with scabrous-ciliate veins. The regions between the veins are smooth and glabrous near the base of the paleas and become scabrous or puberulent distally. All grasses have three anthers. The ovaries are glabrous with occasionally hispidulous apices on which hairs persist when ovaries become caryopses
In botany, a caryopsis (plural caryopses) is a type of simple fruit—one that is monocarpellate (formed from a single carpel) and indehiscent (not opening at maturity) and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused ...
. The oblong caryopses have adaxial grooves. The linear hila Hila may refer to:
*plural form of Hilum
*Village in Israel: Mitzpe Hila
*Hila (given name), in Hebrew
* For the Islamic concept of "stratagem", see Ḥiyal
*Hila, Ambon, the town on the Indonesian island of Ambon where Fort Amsterdam was sited. ...
vary in length from half as long to as long as the caryopses.[
]
Uses
Some fescues are used as ornamental Ornamental may refer to:
*Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration
*Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work
*Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...
and turf grasses and as pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or s ...
and hay for livestock, being a highly nutritious stock feed.[ '' Festuca rubra'' and ''F. rubra'' subsp. ''commutata'' are used as lawn grasses, and these species, '' F. arundinacea'', and '' F. trachyphylla'' are used in parks, deforested areas, and sports fields for land stabilization. '' F. saximontana'' and '' F. idahoensis'' are used as rangeland grasses for livestock, and fescues often provide good forage for native wildlife.][ '' F. ovina'' and its various subspecies are the most important grazing fescues for North America, and ''F. arundinacea'' is one of the most important hay and pasture grasses in Europe.][ Fescue is easily established on bare ground, outcompeting other plants and persisting over several years, and so is often used in ]soil erosion
Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, a ...
control programs. Tall fescue (''F. arundinacea'') is good for this purpose, and one 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 ...
, 'Kentucky 31', was used in land reclamation during the Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...
of the 1930s in the US. Fescues have been used as building material, as rope and as a variety of other things in indigenous Ethiopian communities, in particular the Guassa Community Conservation Area where it is referred to as 'Guassa Grass'. The grasses '' F. amethystina'', '' F. cinerea'', '' F. elegans'', '' F. glauca'', and '' F. pallens'' are all grown as ornamentals.[
Fescue is sometimes used as feed for horses. However, fescue poisoning, caused by ergot ]alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Th ...
s produced by the endophytic
An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. Endophytes are ubiquitous and have been found in all species of plants studied to dat ...
fungus
A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...
''Epichloë coenophiala
''Epichloë coenophiala'' is a systemic and seed-transmissible endophyte of tall fescue, a grass endemic to Eurasia and North Africa, but widely naturalized in North America, Australia and New Zealand. The endophyte has been identified as the cau ...
'', is a risk for pregnant mares. During the last three months of pregnancy fescue poisoning increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, retained placenta, absent milk production, and prolonged pregnancy. Incorporating legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...
s into the fescue can be a way to increase livestock gains and conception rates, even if the fescue is infected.
Species
Species include:[GRIN Species Records of ''Festuca''.]
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
*''Festuca abyssinica
''Festuca abyssinica'' is a species of grass which is endemic to Africa.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with long culms. The ligule is long and is going around the eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades are filiform and are long a ...
''
*'' Festuca actae''
*'' Festuca alatavica''
*'' Festuca aloha'' – aloha fescue
*''Festuca alpina
''Festuca alpina'' is a species of grass in the genus Festuca
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a heig ...
'' – alpine fescue
*'' Festuca altaica'' – northern rough fescue, Altai fescue
*''Festuca altissima
''Festuca altissima'', also known as the wood fescue, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Poaceae. It was first described in 1789.
Its native range is Europe to Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sÊ²ÉªË ...
'' – wood fescue
*'' Festuca amethystina'' – tufted fescue
*'' Festuca ampla''
*''Festuca amplissima
''Festuca amplissima'' is a species 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 natu ...
''
*'' Festuca arenaria'' – rush-leaf fescue
*'' Festuca argentina''
*''Festuca arizonica
''Festuca arizonica'', commonly called Arizona fescue, is a grass found in western North America, in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. This species also has the common names mountain bunchgrass and pinegrass.
Characteristics
...
'' – Arizona fescue, pinegrass
*'' Festuca armoricana''
*'' Festuca arundinacea'' – tall fescue
*'' Festuca arvernensis'' – field fescue
*'' Festuca aurasiaca''
*'' Festuca baffinensis'' – Baffin Island fescue
*'' Festuca beckeri''
*''Festuca brachyphylla
''Festuca brachyphylla'', commonly known as alpine fescue or short-leaved fescue, is a grass native to Eurasia, North America, and the Arctic. The grass is used for erosion control and revegetation. The specific epithet ''brachyphylla'' means "sh ...
'' – alpine fescue, rock fescue
*''Festuca breviglumis
''Festuca breviglumis'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos ...
'' – Swallen
*'' Festuca brunnescens''
*'' Festuca burnatii''
*'' Festuca caerulescens''
*'' Festuca caesia'' – blue fescue
*'' Festuca caldasii''
*''Festuca californica
''Festuca californica'' is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue.
This fescue species is native to the U.S. states of California and Oregon, where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral and oak wo ...
'' – California fescue
*'' Festuca callieri''
*'' Festuca calligera'' – southwestern fescue
*'' Festuca campestris'' – mountain rough fescue
*'' Festuca caprina''
*''Festuca chimborazensis
''Festuca chimborazensis'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is found only in Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of E ...
''
*'' Festuca cinerea''
*'' Festuca circinata''
*''Festuca contracta
''Festuca contracta'', commonly known as tufted fescue or land tussac, is a species of true grass (Poaceae). It is native to many subantarctic islands in, and the coasts bordering, the Southern Ocean. The specific epithet comes from the Lati ...
'' – tufted fescue
*'' Festuca cretacea''
*'' Festuca cumminsii''
*'' Festuca dahurica''
*'' Festuca dasyclada'' – oil shale fescue
*'' Festuca densipaniculata''
*'' Festuca dimorpha''
*'' Festuca djimilensis''
*''Festuca dolichophylla
''Festuca dolichophylla'' is a species of grass which is endemic to western South America with an occurrence in Costa Rica.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with erect culms that are long and wide. The ligule is long and ...
''
*''Festuca donax
''Festuca donax'' is a species of grass which can be found in Africa and Macaronesia.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with long culms that grow in a clump. The ligule is long and is going around the eciliate membrane. L ...
''
*'' Festuca drymeja''
*'' Festuca durissima''
*'' Festuca earlei'' – Earle's fescue
*''Festuca edlundiae
''Festuca edlundiae'', commonly known as Edlund's fescue, is a native, perennial tufted grass found in Alaska, Canadian arctic islands, northern Greenland, far eastern arctic Russia and Svalbard. The specific name honours Doctor Sylvia Edlund, ...
'' - Edlund's fescue
*''Festuca elegans
''Festuca elegans'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae
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 ...
''
*'' Festuca elmeri'' – coast fescue
*''Festuca eskia
''Festuca eskia'' is a species of grass which is native to southwestern Europe, in France and Spain.
Description
The plant is perennial and has caespitose with long culms and wide. The ligule is long and is going around the eciliate membrane ...
''
*'' Festuca extremiorientalis''
*'' Festuca filiformis'' – fine-leaved sheep's fescue
*'' Festuca flacca''
*'' Festuca frederikseniae''
*'' Festuca gautieri'' – bearskin fescue
*'' Festuca gigantea'' – giant fescue
*'' Festuca glacialis''
*'' Festuca glauca'' – blue fescue, gray fescue
*'' Festuca glumosa''
*'' Festuca gracillima''
*'' Festuca hallii'' – plains rough fescue
*'' Festuca hawaiiensis'' – Hawaii fescue
*''Festuca heterophylla
''Festuca heterophylla'', the various-leaved fescue, is a species of perennial plant from family Poaceae that is native to southern Europe. It is also grows in Asia and in the US states of New York and Virginia
Virginia, officially the ...
'' – various-leaved fescue, shade fescue
*''Festuca hyperborea
''Festuca hyperborea'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos a ...
'' – boreal fescue
*'' Festuca hystrix''
*'' Festuca idahoensis'' – Idaho fescue, blue bunchgrass
*'' Festuca indigesta''
*'' Festuca jubata'' – Macaronesia fescue
*'' Festuca juncifolia''
*'' Festuca kingii'' – spike fescue
*'' Festuca komarovii''
*'' Festuca kurtziana''
*'' Festuca laxa''
*'' Festuca lemanii'' – confused fescue
*'' Festuca lenensis'' – tundra fescue
*'' Festuca ligulata'' – Guadalupe fescue
*'' Festuca litvinovii''
*''Festuca longifolia
''Festuca longifolia'', known in Britain and Ireland as blue fescue, is a species of grass which is native to Channel Islands and Southern Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county ...
'' – blue fescue
*'' Festuca longipes''
*'' Festuca lucida''
*'' Festuca magellanica''
*''Festuca mairei
''Festuca mairei'', the Atlas fescue, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae.
The bunchgrass is endemic to north Africa.
Characteristics
''Festuca mairei'' is densely-clumped, evergreen and forms mounds that grow tall up to 24 to 36 inch ...
'' – Atlas fescue
*'' Festuca matthewsii'' – alpine fescue tussock
*'' Festuca minutiflora'' – smallflower fescue
*'' Festuca molokaiensis''[ – Moloka'i fescue
*'' Festuca monticola''
*'' Festuca muelleri''
*'' Festuca multinodis''
*'' Festuca nigrescens'' – alpine Chewing's fescue
*'' Festuca novae-zealandiae'' – fescue tussock
*'' Festuca occidentalis'' – western fescue
*'' Festuca octoflora''
*'']Festuca orthophylla
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ever ...
''
*'' Festuca ovina'' – sheep's fescue
*'' Festuca pallens''
*''Festuca pallescens
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ever ...
''
*'' Festuca panciciana''
*'' Festuca paradoxa'' – cluster fescue
*''Festuca parciflora
''Festuca parciflora'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is found only in Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, whi ...
''
*'' Festuca perennis''– (historical) perennial and Italian ryegrass
*''Festuca petraea
''Festuca petraea'' is a species of grass endemic to the Azores, Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwes ...
'' – Azorean fescue
*''Festuca picturata
''Festuca picturata'' is a species of grass which can be found in Central, Eastern and southeastern Europe.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with long culms that are clumped. The ligule is going around the eciliate membrane w ...
''
*'' Festuca pilgeri''
*''Festuca polycolea
''Festuca polycolea'' is a species of grass which is endemic to India.
Description
The plant is perennial and caespitose with long culms that are erect. The ligule is long and is going around the eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades are filiform, c ...
''
*'' Festuca porcii''
*'' Festuca pratensis'' – meadow fescue, English bluegrass
*''Festuca procera
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family (biology), family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennial tufted grasses with a height range of ...
''
*''Festuca psammophila
''Festuca psammophila'' is a species of Poaceae, grass which is endemic to Central Europe.
Description
The plant is perennial plant, perennial and caespitose with long culm (botany), culms and smooth Internode (botany), internodes. The ligule i ...
''
*'' Festuca pseudodalmatica''
*'' Festuca pseudodura''
*'' Festuca pseudoeskia''
*'' Festuca pseudovina'' – pseudovina
*''Festuca pulchella
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca punctoria
''Festuca punctoria'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos an ...
''
*'' Festuca purpurascens''
*''Festuca pyrenaica
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*'' Festuca quadriflora''
*'' Festuca richardsonii'' – arctic fescue
*''Festuca riccerii
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*'' Festuca rigescens''
*'' Festuca rivularis''
*'' Festuca rubra'' – red fescue
** ''Festuca rubra'' subsp. ''commutata'' – Chewing's fescue
*'' Festuca rupicaprina''
*''Festuca rupicola
''Festuca rupicola'', the furrowed fescue, is a species of cool-season grass in the family Poaceae
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includ ...
'' – furrowed fescue
*''Festuca saximontana
''Festuca saximontana'', the rocky mountain fescue or the mountain fescue, is a perennial grass native to North America. The specific epithet ''saximontana'' is Latin and means "of the Rocky Mountains". The grass has a diploid number of 42.
Taxo ...
'' – Rocky Mountain fescue
*''Festuca scabra
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family (biology), family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennial tufted grasses with a height range of ...
'' – munnik fescue
*''Festuca scabriuscula
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca scariosa
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca sclerophylla
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ev ...
''
*''Festuca sibirica
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*'' Festuca sinensis''
*''Festuca sodiroana
''Festuca sodiroana'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. Its habitat spans from southern Ecuador to northern Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in ...
''
*''Festuca sororia
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ever ...
'' – ravine fescue
*''Festuca spectabilis
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*'' Festuca stricta''
*'' Festuca subulata'' – bearded fescue
*'' Festuca subuliflora'' – crinkle-awn fescue
*'' Festuca subulifolia''
*''Festuca subverticillata
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
'' – nodding fescue
*''Festuca tatrae
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca thurberi
''Festuca thurberi'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name Thurber's fescue. It is native to a section of the western United States encompassing New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. It probably also occurs in parts of Arizon ...
'' – Thurber's fescue
*'' Festuca trachyphylla''
*'' Festuca vaginalis''
*'' Festuca vaginata''
*'' Festuca valesiaca'' – Volga fescue
*''Festuca varia
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca venusta
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca versuta
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
'' – Texas fescue
*''Festuca violacea
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca viridula
''Festuca viridula'' is a species of grass known by several common names, including green fescue, greenleaf fescue, and mountain bunchgrass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Colorado, where it is most abundant in hig ...
'' – green fescue
*'' Festuca vivipara'' – viviparous fescue
*'' Festuca viviparoidea'' – northern fescue
*''Festuca washingtonica
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
'' – Washington fescue
*''Festuca weberbaueri
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family (biology), family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennial tufted grasses with a height range of ...
''
*''Festuca xanthina
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
*''Festuca yalaensis
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
''
Subgenus ''Schedonorus''
:Proposed for inclusion in genus ''Lolium''
*'' Festuca arundinacea'' (syn.
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...
''Festuca elatior'', ''Lolium arundinaceum'') – tall fescue
*'' Festuca gigantea'' (''Lolium giganteum'') – giant fescue
*''Festuca mazzettiana
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...
'' (''Lolium mazzettianum'')
*'' Festuca pratensis'' (''Lolium pratensis'') – meadow fescue
References
External links
University of Arizona Extension Service
flora and fauna image gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157337
Poaceae genera
Grasses of Africa
Grasses of Asia
Grasses of Europe
Grasses of North America
Grasses of Oceania
Grasses of South America
Pooideae
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus