Festuca rubra
Red fescue
(c) Forest and Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Festuca rubra (Red fescue) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by closed red sheaths and rhizomes.
Red fescue is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, northern and central Sierra Nevada, central western California, Transverse Ranges, and White and Inyo Mountains in sand dunes, grasslands, and subalpine forests at elevations generally below 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces small, delicate flower clusters in open, branching arrangements approximately 5 to 20 centimeters long. Growing in clumped formations with decumbent bases and stems 30 to 80 centimeters tall, it spreads through short rhizomes that help it colonize diverse habitats. Its narrow leaves are less than 3 millimeters wide, typically folded, and grow 5 to 30 centimeters long with reddish sheaths that shred with age. The flower spikelets are 9 to 12 millimeters long, containing 3 to 10 florets with small awns less than 4 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species. Distinguished by closed red sheaths and rhizomes
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sand dunes, grassland, subalpine forest
Elevation: generally < 2500 m
California counties: Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, El Dorado, San Mateo, Marin, Inyo, San Bernardino, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Tehama, Monterey, Contra Costa, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Lake, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Mono, Napa, Nevada, San Francisco, Sonoma, Trinity, Tulare, Ventura, Amador, Shasta, San Diego, Alpine, Alameda, Butte, Lassen, Placer, Fresno, Kern, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Sacramento, Orange, Solano, Modoc, Colusa, Yolo
Outside California: worldwide
Bloom period
Festuca rubra 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 rubra native to California?
Yes. Festuca rubra is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Festuca rubra bloom?
Festuca rubra blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Festuca rubra grow?
Festuca rubra occurs in Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, El Dorado, San Mateo, Marin, Inyo, San Bernardino and other counties, at elevations of generally < 2500 m.
What plant family does Festuca rubra belong to?
Festuca rubra is in the Poaceae family, genus Festuca.
What habitat does Festuca rubra grow in?
Festuca rubra grows in Sand dunes, grassland, subalpine forest.
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.