Festuca elmeri
Coast fescue
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Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Festuca elmeri (Coast fescue) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by moist forest habitat and drooping branches.
Coast fescue is a California native perennial grass found in northwestern and central western California on moist, wooded slopes under trees in rich soil at elevations below 1,830 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate grass flowers in loose, drooping clusters 10 to 20 centimeters long. Growing in loosely tufted clumps 40 to 100 centimeters tall with visible nodes, it forms distinctive grass clusters with slender stems. Its grass blades are 10 to 40 centimeters long, 2 to 6 millimeters wide, flat or loosely rolled, and slightly rough or hairy on the upper surface. The grass produces spikelets 7 to 11 millimeters long with 2 to 6 florets, each lemma bearing a short 2 to 5 millimeter awn subterminal between two small teeth.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 sympatric species. Distinguished by moist forest habitat and drooping branches
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist, wooded slopes, under trees in rich soil
Elevation: < 1830 m
California counties: San Luis Obispo, Lake, Napa, Santa Barbara, Marin, Humboldt, Riverside, Butte, Monterey, Santa Clara, Sutter, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Mendocino, Nevada, San Mateo, Sonoma, Trinity, Siskiyou, Placer, Colusa, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tehama, Solano
Outside California: Oregon
Bloom period
Festuca elmeri blooms May-Jul.
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 elmeri native to California?
Yes. Festuca elmeri is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Festuca elmeri bloom?
Festuca elmeri blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Festuca elmeri grow?
Festuca elmeri occurs in San Luis Obispo, Lake, Napa, Santa Barbara, Marin, Humboldt, Riverside, Butte and other counties, at elevations of < 1830 m.
What plant family does Festuca elmeri belong to?
Festuca elmeri is in the Poaceae family, genus Festuca.
What habitat does Festuca elmeri grow in?
Festuca elmeri grows in Moist, wooded slopes, under trees in rich soil.
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.