Red Fescue

Festuca rubra L.

Grass family

Plant Type

Graminoid

Life Cycle

Perennial

Mature Height

24 inches

Spread

12 inches

Flower Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Mid Spring

Growing Conditions

Light

Shade Tolerance Tolerant

Water

Water Use Medium

Drought Tolerance Medium

Flood Tolerance None

Soil

Soil Types Clay, Loam

CaCO3 Tolerance High

Fertility Need High

Stress Tolerance

Fire Tolerance High

Salt Tolerance Low

Climate

pH Range 5.0 – 7.5

Frost-Free Days 90 days

Precipitation 30 – 70 in

Ecosystem & Wildlife

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

Larval Host Chrysoteuchia topiaria, Hesperia comma, Hesperia sassacus, Pediasia trisecta

Fall Color No

Evergreen No

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.