Festuca rubra subsp. rubra
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
red fescue
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Grasses
Detailed description
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, panicle 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.
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Year naturalised
1872
Origin
Europe
Reason for introduction
Agricultural.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
festuca: From the Latin festuca ‘stem’ or ‘blade of grass’
rubra: Red
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
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