Larger Fescues
What are they?
The fescues are a large group of grasses and one of the more difficult groups to identify to species. Taxonomists have disagreed for a long time on how to define some of the species and there is often hybridisation between this group and closely-related groups such as the rye-grasses. Indeed, some of the larger fescues spent time in the genus Schedonorus and more recently were moved into Lolium. Fescues are very important grasses in the wider landscape with species adapted to all of the main habitat types, while Red Fescue has been long-cultivated and exists in a range of horticultural varieties as well as in the form of several native subspecies. The range of species includes both tall and short species, as well as clump-formers and species with spreading rhizomes. The fescues have here been split up into three broad groups; this page covers the larger species, while other pages cover smaller fescues and fescue relatives. If you are trying to identify a fescue, it's probably worth giving those pages a look, too.
Where are they found?
Larger fescues are frequent to abundant in a wide range of open habitats including roadsides, meadows, grass-heaths and lawns. Some species are more habitat-specific (such as Giant Fescue and Saltmarsh Red Fescue), which can be useful in aiding identification.
Identification
Click here for help with some of the terminology used on the grass pages. Fescues generally have an open panicle of flowers, with the spikelets often awned and often clustered towards the ends of wiry side stems. Identifying the larger species is not too difficult, but sometimes requires measurements of flower parts to be made. The presence or absence of awns can be useful to note, as well as the width of leaves.
Red Fescue Festuca rubra
A native perennial, abundant in all kinds of grassy places and commonly sown as a lawn grass. Flowers June to August. Very variable in appearance with several subspecies recognised, especially in coastal habitats. Plants 20-100cm in height and variably spreading or clump forming. Leaf blades often very fine, 1-5mm or more wide according to subspecies, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, rolled or flat. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth, fused together more or less to the top and hiding the minuscule ligule. Flower spike spreading at anthesis, often slightly drooping towards the tip when young. Spikelets 5-14mm with 3-12 florets. Lemmas shortly awned.
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Saltmarsh Red Fescue Festuca rubra subsp. litoralis
A native perennial, very common in coastal habitats along creek levees and at the upper edge of saltmarsh, or where shingle underlies saltmarsh, giving a firmer substrate. Flowers June to August. Plants to 50cm in height with rather short rhizomes and forming dense colonies of stems. Leaf blades narrow, 1.2-2mm wide according to subspecies, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, typically folded. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth, fused together more or less to the top and hiding the minuscule ligule. Flower spike spreading at anthesis, often slightly drooping towards the tip when young. Spikelets 8.7-11.2mm, upper glume 4.3-6.2mm, lemmas 5.7-8mm, shortly awned. Note that other forms of Red Fescue may occur, especially where saltmarsh or shingle interfaces with grazing marsh.
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Rush-leaved Fescue Festuca arenaria
A native perennial, generally rare but locally frequent in coastal sites, especially where Marram grows. Flowers June to July. Plants 20-90cm in height with loosely scattered stems. Leaf blades upto 5mm wide, glaucous (blue-grey), with a stiff, sharp tip and densely hairy on the veins. Leaf sheaths fused almost to apex, smooth, with a short ligule 0.5-4mm long. Flower spike upright to slightly drooping, spreading at anthesis, later closing up. Spikelets 10-18mm, flattened, with 4-12 florets, upper glume 3.5-10.mm, lemmas 6-10mm, downy, with an awn up to 2.6mm long. The distinctly hairy lemmas are a useful identification feature.
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Meadow Fescue Lolium pratense
A native perennial, but also included in grass seed mixes in new sowings. Widespread but rather thinly distributed and most typically a constituent of grassland on old commons and in churchyards, or well-maintained, wet meadows. Flowers June to August. Plants 45-90cm in height, sometimes forming tussocks, but may also be loosely scattered, especially where regularly mown or grazed. Leaf blades tough, long strap-like, 3-8mm wide, hairless and glossy beneath, rough on the margin and tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, wing-like auricles that do not have bristles on their margins. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis and with the shorter of the two lowest branches bearing no more than two spikelets. Spikelets 10-20mm with 5-14 florets. Lemmas awnless or rarely with an awn no more than 1.4mm long.
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Tall Fescue Lolium arundinaceum
A native perennial, frequent to locally common on roadsides and rough, marginal land, often spreading from where originally sown as a pasture grass. Flowers June to August. Plants 45-200cm in height, often forming tough tussocks, except where regularly mown or grazed. Leaf blades tough, long strap-like, 3-12mm wide, hairless or slightly hairy beneath, tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, wing-like auricles that have a few bristles on their margins. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis. Spikelets 10-18mm with 3-10 florets. Lemmas shortly awned or awnless. The coarse nature of this plant, with its tall flower spikes and tough, strap-like leaves are distinctive features.
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Giant Fescue Lolium giganteum
A native perennial, scattered through much of East Anglia on heavier soils in shady places. Flowers July to August. Plants 45-150cm in height, loosely tufted, the stems often with purple nodes. Leaf blades broad, 6-18mm wide, hairless or slightly hairy above, tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, smooth, wing-like auricles. Ligule membranous, short, to 2.5mm in length. Flower spike open and spreading at anthesis. Spikelets 8-20mm with 3-10 florets. Lemmas 6-9mm with a rough awn, 10-18mm long and often wavy.
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Purple Moor-grass Molinia caerulea
A native perennial, favouring wet, peaty ground in fens, dune slacks and damp heaths. Flowers July to September. Plants 15-130cm in height, forming tight tussocks. Leaves 3-10mm wide, flat, rough at the margins and usually with a few long hairs towards the base; long-tapered to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded. Ligule a ring of stiff hairs. Flower spikes rather variable, but typically well-branched, narrow and wand-like, at first stiff and straight, later arching, up to 65cm in length. Spikelets 3-7.5mm, 1-4 flowered. Glumes shorter than the lemmas and typically purple-tinged. Lemmas 3-6mm, firm and smooth. Not a close relative of the fescues, but included here as it is structurally rather similar to them and could be mistaken for one. A distinctive, late-flowering grass, forming dense tussocks of tough leaves topped with long, wand-like flower spikes, all of which persist well into winter as brightly straw-coloured clumps.
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