Festuca trachyphylla
Hard or sheep fescue, Sheep Fescue
(c) Marcin Dyderski, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Marcin Dyderski · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Festuca trachyphylla (Hard or sheep fescue) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by mid-elevation montane habitat and appressed branches.
Hard or sheep fescue is a naturalized perennial grass found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, and northern Sierra Nevada at elevations of 1,000 to 1,800 meters in open places and forested slopes. Flowering from May to July, this grass produces pale green to greenish-yellow flowers in compact clusters up to 13 centimeters long. Growing in dense clumps with stems 20 to 75 centimeters tall, it develops visible nodes and sparse hairs near the flowering heads. Its narrow leaves are less than 1 millimeter wide, folded, and somewhat hairy, forming tight clusters at the base of the plant. The grass produces small spikelets 5.5 to 9 millimeters long with 3 to 8 individual florets, each with a short awn 0.5 to 2.5 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species. Distinguished by mid-elevation montane habitat and appressed branches
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open places, slopes in forested areas
Elevation: generally 1000-1800 m
Outside California: to eastern North America, native to Europe
Bloom period
Festuca trachyphylla 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 trachyphylla native to California?
No. Festuca trachyphylla is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Festuca trachyphylla bloom?
Festuca trachyphylla blooms May-Jul.
What plant family does Festuca trachyphylla belong to?
Festuca trachyphylla is in the Poaceae family, genus Festuca.
What habitat does Festuca trachyphylla grow in?
Festuca trachyphylla grows in Open places, slopes in forested areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Festuca viridula — Mountain bunch grass
- Festuca arundinacea — Tall fescue
- Festuca brachyphylla subsp. breviculmis — Alpine fescue
- Festuca bromoides — Brome fescue
- Festuca californica — California fescue
- Festuca elmeri — Coast fescue
- Gastridium phleoides — Nit grass
- Gastridium sp.
- Gaudinia fragilis — Fragile oat
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.