tall fescue
(Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)

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Overview

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Tall fescue, also called Kentucky 31 fescue, is a rhizomatus, cool season grass that invades open areas throughout the United States. This tall grass (up to 6 ft. [1.8 m]) remains green in winter and spring. The moderately stout stem is unbranched with 1-3 swollen, light green nodes near the base. Leaves are mostly basal, flat, 4 to 18 in. (10.2-45.7 cm) long with whitish to yellow-green, flared collars. The midvein is not noticeable. Flowers occur in loose panicles that are 4-12 in. (10.2-30.5 cm) long. Tall fescue invades a variety of open habitats including fields, forest margins, roadsides, forest openings and savannas. It spreads mainly through rhizomes and can form extensive colonies that compete with and displace native vegetation. It is frequently infected with a endophytic fungus that can causes illness in livestock and some wild animals. Tall fescue is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States in the early to mid 1800s. The ecotype, Kentucky 31, was discovered in the 1930s and widely planted for livestock forage. Tall fescue has been widely planted for turf, forage and erosion control.

Resources

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• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
• Fire Effects Information System - USDA Forest Service
• Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service

Selected Images

Maps

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Invasive Listing Sources

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• California Invasive Plant Council
• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 3
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
• Maryland Code and Regulations Noxious Weed & Seed Law
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999

References

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Common Name Reference: PLANTS Database

Scientific Name Reference: PLANTS Database