Festuca rubra
Encyclopedia
Festuca rubra is a species
of grass
known by the common name red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates; it generally needs full sun to thrive. It is a nutritious and palatable forage grass for domestic and wild animals, and an ornamental plant
for gardens.
s and/or forms bunchgrass 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
The swards that it forms are not as tufted as Sheep's Fescue
(Festuca ovina) or wavy hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa
). The tufted nature is what gives the grass its springy characteristic. The leaves are bright green.
There are 4 to 10 spikelet flowers, which are up to 15mm long.
The ligule
is very short and blunt.
and groundcover
. It can be left completely unmowed, or occasionally trimmed for a lush meadow
-like look. There are many subspecies, and many cultivar
s have been bred for the horticulture
trade.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of grass
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common name red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates; it generally needs full sun to thrive. It is a nutritious and palatable forage grass for domestic and wild animals, and an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
for gardens.
Description
Festuca rubra is perennial and has sub-species forms that have rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s and/or forms bunchgrass 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
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
The swards that it forms are not as tufted as Sheep's Fescue
Sheep's Fescue
Sheep's Fescue or Sheep Fescue is a species of grass.-General Description:It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, for example in the Portlethen Moss, Scotland and mountain pasture, throughout Europe and eastwards across much of Asia; it has also been introduced to North...
(Festuca ovina) or wavy hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa
Deschampsia flexuosa
-Introduction:Deschampsia flexuosa Trin. or Wavy Hair-grass is a species of bunchgrass in the Poaceae family with a Holarctic distribution.-Habitat and distribution:...
). The tufted nature is what gives the grass its springy characteristic. The leaves are bright green.
There are 4 to 10 spikelet flowers, which are up to 15mm long.
The ligule
Ligule
A ligule — is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses and sedges or a strap-shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family....
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 turfgrassLawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
and groundcover
Groundcover
Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance .- Ecosystem :...
. It can be left completely unmowed, or occasionally trimmed for a lush meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
-like look. There are many subspecies, and many cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s have been bred for the horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
trade.