Festuca arundinacea
Tall fescue, Tall Fescue
(c) Георгий Виноградов (Georgy Vinogradov), some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Festuca arundinacea (Tall fescue) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by large size, wide blades, clasping auricles.
Tall fescue is a naturalized perennial grass found in California's Central Valley and Western and Interior Ranges in disturbed places at elevations generally below 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to June, this robust grass produces small spikelets with flowers that are often tinged purple. Growing with tall stems 80 to 200 centimeters high, it develops prominent nodes and can form loose clusters with spreading branches. Its leaves are flat or loosely rolled, 25 to 70 centimeters long and 4 to 10 millimeters wide, with hairy blades and small clasping basal auricles. The grass forms dense clumps and can spread through rhizomes in disturbed habitats.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species. Distinguished by large size, wide blades, clasping auricles
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed places
Elevation: < 2700 (generally < 1000) m
California counties: Inyo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Kern, Sonoma, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Orange, Nevada, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Contra Costa, Lake, Butte, Shasta, Trinity, Plumas, Mendocino, Tehama, Colusa, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, San Benito, Napa, Humboldt, Del Norte, Tulare, Mono, Tuolumne, Yolo, Mariposa
Outside California: to eastern North America, native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Festuca arundinacea blooms May-Jun.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
How to tell it apart
vs Bromus: Festuca sheaths split open; Bromus sheaths stay closed around the stem.; vs Lolium: Festuca spikelets branch from multiple points; Lolium spikelets sit flat against one side of stem.; vs Aciphylla: Festuca is a grass with thin blade leaves; Aciphylla has rigid spine-tipped tufts.; vs Poa: Festuca lemmas have 5+ veins; Poa lemmas show only 3-5 veins with cobwebby hairs at base.; vs Muhlenbergia: Festuca has multi-flowered chunky spikelets; Muhlenbergia has delicate single-flowered tiny spikelets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Festuca arundinacea native to California?
No. Festuca arundinacea is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Festuca arundinacea bloom?
Festuca arundinacea blooms May-Jun.
Where in California does Festuca arundinacea grow?
Festuca arundinacea occurs in Inyo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Kern, Sonoma, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of < 2700 (generally < 1000) m.
What plant family does Festuca arundinacea belong to?
Festuca arundinacea is in the Poaceae family, genus Festuca.
Is Festuca arundinacea invasive in California?
Festuca arundinacea is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.