Red Fescue

Festuca rubra L. - Grass family

Size

Mature Height: Up to around 24 inches

Planting Distance: 12 inches

Plant Type: Graminoid

Root Depth: 12 inches

Growth Form: Rhizomatous

Growth Rate: Moderate

Features

Flower Color: Yellow

Conspicuous Flowers: No

Bloom Time: Mid Spring

Seasonal Growth: Spring and Fall

Evergreen: No

Fall Colors: No

Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Tolerant

Clay Soil Tolerance: Yes

Sandy Soil Tolerance: No

Drought Tolerance: Medium

Flood Tolerance: None

Fire Tolerance: High

Salt Tolerance: Low

Ecosystem Interactions

Pollinators: Larval Host (Butterfly); Larval Host (Moth); Wind

Larval Species depending on Red Fescue: Chrysoteuchia topiaria, Hesperia comma, Hesperia sassacus, Pediasia trisecta

Native Range

  • USA:  Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
  • CAN:  Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territorie, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward I., Québec, Saskatchewan, Yukon
  • DEN:  Greenland
  • MEX:  Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast
Regional Native Status: L48 (NI), AK (NI), HI (I), CAN (NI), GL (NI), SPM (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.