tall fescue

Family

Poaceae

Schedonorus arundinaceus

course fescue

alta fescue

reed fescue

Festuca fenas

Festuca elatior

Lolium arundinaceum

Schedonorus phoenix

Festuca uechtritziana

Festuca arundinacea

A clumping grass with fibrous root system. Clumps enlarge by tilling but this species reproduces by seed.

Leaves are fairly broad and rolled in the bud with short blunt auricles fringed with short hairs.

Many varieties of tall fescue are infected with an endophyte that can be toxic to livestock but allows the plant to be more tolerant to drought.

Flowers early to midsummer and seed heads persist in to the fall. Seed head is a panicle.

The fruit a spikelet contains 3-8 lance shaped seeds that are 7 mm in length.

perennial

Grass