Festuca viridula
Mountain bunch grass, green fescue, Green Fescue
(c) Dominic Gentilcore, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Festuca viridula (Mountain bunch grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by high elevation, strongly veined sheaths, paired branches.
Mountain bunch grass is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in subalpine meadows, open forests, and rocky slopes at elevations generally above 2,000 meters. Flowering from June to August, this grass produces small greenish spikelets 9 to 12 millimeters long with delicate branches arranged in open clusters. Growing in dense clumps with stems 50 to 100 centimeters tall, it forms robust bunches with visible nodes and strongly veined leaf sheaths. Its narrow leaves are 10 to 30 centimeters long, approximately 1 to 2.5 millimeters wide, and slightly rolled, creating a compact and structured appearance. The grass's leaf sheaths gradually shred with age, revealing its distinctive clumped growth pattern and adaptability to high-elevation alpine environments.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species. Distinguished by high elevation, strongly veined sheaths, paired branches
Habitat and range
Habitat: Subalpine meadows, open forest, rocky slopes
Elevation: generally > 2000 m
California counties: Nevada, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Alpine, Placer, Sierra, Lassen, San Benito, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Plumas, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Amador
Outside California: to British Columbia, Idaho
Bloom period
Festuca viridula blooms Jun-Aug.
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 viridula native to California?
Yes. Festuca viridula is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Festuca viridula bloom?
Festuca viridula blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Festuca viridula grow?
Festuca viridula occurs in Nevada, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Alpine, Placer, Sierra, Lassen, San Benito and other counties, at elevations of generally > 2000 m.
What plant family does Festuca viridula belong to?
Festuca viridula is in the Poaceae family, genus Festuca.
What habitat does Festuca viridula grow in?
Festuca viridula grows in Subalpine meadows, open forest, rocky slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Festuca arundinacea — Tall fescue
- Festuca brachyphylla subsp. breviculmis — Alpine fescue
- Festuca bromoides — Brome fescue
- Festuca californica — California fescue
- Festuca elmeri — Coast fescue
- Festuca idahoensis — Idaho fescue
- Gastridium phleoides — Nit grass
- Gastridium sp.
- Gaudinia fragilis — Fragile oat
- Gaudinia sp. — Fragile-oat
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.