Festuca rubra subsp. rubra
Common name
red fescue
Family
Poaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Grasses
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
FESRSR
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Features
Tufted perennial grass spreading from rhizomes. Leaves arise from the base and have sheath 3-7 cm, often with bright red veins, and an almost glabrous blade of 5-25 cm long and 0.5-2 mm wide, dark to bluish green. Knob-like swellings at junction of blade and sheath. Flowering culm up to 45 cm tall, pannicle usually 5-10 cm tall, closely held clusters of spikelets.
Similar taxa
F. novae-zealandae is similar but has more wiry leaf blades up to 60 cm long.
Year naturalised
1872
Origin
Europe
Etymology
festuca: From the Latin festuca ‘stem’ or ‘blade of grass’
rubra: Red
Reason For Introduction
Agricultural.