''Festuca idahoensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plains grasslands.

Description

This

fescue ''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 ...

is a densely clumping long-lived perennial bunch grass with stems from about 30 to 80 centimeters in height. The stiff, short, rolling leaves are mostly located near the base of the tuft. The inflorescence has hairy spikelets which produce large awned fruits. The root system is thick and penetrates deeply into the soil. The roots have symbiotic

mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant ...

e. There are no

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s; the plant reproduces from seeds and from budding with tillers. It is similar to, but generally taller and larger than, '' Poa secunda''.

Ecology

The species can grow in well-soiled areas along with ponderosa pine. This is a nutritious and preferred forage grass for wild and domestic animals. Typical native grass associates in the far west coastal prairies are '' Danthonia californica,

Deschampsia caespitosa ''Deschampsia cespitosa'', commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts o ...

'' and '' Nassella pulchra.'' It is a popular larval host, supporting Lindsey's skipper,

sandhill skipper ''Polites sabuleti'', the sandhill skipper or saltgrass skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found from southern British Columbia and eastern Washington, south through California and northern Arizona to Baja California and ea ...

, Sonora skipper,

woodland skipper ''Ochlodes sylvanoides'', the woodland skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Montana, Colorado and Arizona. The wingspan is 25–32 mm. The ...

, and western banded skipper caterpillars. Cultivars, such as "Siskiyou Blue," are produced in the horticulture industry for landscape design and garden use.

References

Notes

* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
"Purple Needlegrass (''Nassella pulchra'')" Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
*''Jepson Manual''. 1993
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Festuca idahoensis''

External links

Grass Manual Treatment: ''Festuca idahoensis''USDA Plants Profile - ''Festuca idahoensis''

''Festuca idahoensis'' - U.C. Photo gallery
idahoensis Bunchgrasses of North America Native grasses of California Grasses of the United States Grasses of Canada Flora of Idaho Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Great Basin Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the Klamath Mountains Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Garden plants of North America Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Pooideae-stub