Unité de Malherbologie & Agronomie Weed Science & Agronomy INRA-Dijon

Bayer Code : fesar

Scientific name: Festuca arundinacea Schreber

Synonym(s) of Sc. name: Festuca elatior subsp. arundinaceae (Schreber) Hackel

Classification: Gramineae, Monocotyledonous

Common name: tall fescue

Synonym(s) of Common name:

Name per country: DE : Rohr-Schwingel ; ES : festuca alta ; FR : fétuque faux roseau ; IT : festuca falascona ; PT : festuca-alta ; EN : tall fescue ;

Biological type: Perennial with rhizomes

Seed:

.

Seedling:

- Shoot rolled, leaf sheath terete.

- Leaf blade 20-50 times longer than broad, leaf more or less hairy.

- Ligule membranous, truncate, short auricles.

- Plant mainly propagates vegetatively (short rhizomes...); establishment from seedling is rare.

Adult plant:

- Height: 20-120 cm. Plant glabrous.

- Stems erect, rough above.

- Leaves long, flat, 3-10 mm broad, scabrid.

- Inflorescence in lax panicle, whorled at the base, with large spikelets. Glumes markedly shorter than the 4-8 florets. Lower floral glumes rounded on the back, often slightly keeled at the tip, with a short awn between the 2 terminal teeth.

- Fruit : caryopsis with the lower floral glume scabrid on margin, stigma terminal. Seed similar to that of ray -grass, but the rachilla is slightly elliptic in section.

- Rare in crops, selected as fodder (tender varieties ).

- Biological type: Perennial with short rhizomes.

Ecological profile::   Rare       Rare       Present       Rare    

Copyright © 2000-2001 INRA, all rights reserved ; J.-P. Lonchamp, Nov. 2000
http://www.dijon.inra.fr/bga/hyppa/hyppa-a/fesar_ah.htm ,