Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

  [   PIER species lists  ]   [   PIER home  ]

Festuca rubra
L., Poaceae
Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES


Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: creeping fescue, ravine fescue, red fescue

French: fétuque rouge

Spanish: caòuela roja

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennials, occasionally producing short, delicate rhizomes; culms loosely tufted, red-tinged or purple-tinged at base, erect to ascending, 4.5-10 dm tall, glabrous.  Sheaths 3-4 cm long, striate, usually glaucous; ligule ca. 0.5 mm long; blades 8-17 cm long, usually involute, sparsely scabrous on margins and at the acute apex.  Inflorescences paniculate, 3-20 cm long, usually narrow and contracted, with erect or ascending branches 2-4 mm long; spikelets usually pale green or glaucous, often purple-tinged, 4-7-flowered, 10-15 mm long (including awns), rachilla scabrous; glumes attenuate, sparsely scabrous on upper 1/2 of keel, first glume 2.5-3 mm long; palea 4-5 mm long, keels scabrous, apex acute.  Caryopsis pale brown, oblong, 3-4 mm long, dorsally compressed and sulcate"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1547-1548).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawaii, "sparingly naturalized in pastures and shrubland communities, 820-2,140 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1548).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Eurasia and North Africa, widely used as a pasture and turf grass" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1548).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Hawai‘i (Big) Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1584)
Voucher cited: Lyman s.n. (BISH)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Kaua‘i Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Shannon, Robynn K./Herbst, Derral R. (1997) (p. 60)
Vouchers cited: Wood & Perlman 1701 (US), Wood & Perlman 1704 (BISH), Wood et al. 1761 (BISH, US), Wood et al 3193 (BISH)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Maui Island introduced
invasive
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1584)
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Australia
Australia (continental)
New South Wales introduced
invasive
cultivated
Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 160)
Canada
Province of British Columbia
Canada (British Columbia) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
China
China
China (People's Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Japan
Japan
Japan (country) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
North Korea
North Korea
North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
South Korea
South Korea
South Korea (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico (United Mexican States)   Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 82)
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand (country) introduced
invasive
Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 120)
"Grasslands, scrublands, wasteplaces; sea level to 1850 m".
United States (west coast)
United States (west coast states)
USA (Oregon) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
United States (west coast)
United States (west coast states)
USA (California) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
United States (west coast)
United States (west coast states)
USA (Washington) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Festuca rubra is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Festuca rubra may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Edgar, E./Connor, H. 2000. Flora of New Zealand, vol. V: Gramineae. Manaaki Whenua Press. .

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 2. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 137 pp. + plates.

U. S. Government. 2006. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Wagner, Warren L./Shannon, Robynn K./Herbst, Derral R. 1997. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1996. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 48:51-65.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

  [   PIER species lists  ]   [   PIER home  ]

This page was created on 11 FEB 2007 and was last updated on 25 MAR 2007.