Festuca rubra L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat 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 GrassBase.

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)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2008) (p. 33) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer, Perlman & Tangalin H40704 (BISH, PTBG)

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. (2009)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
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. (2009)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

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

Information about Festuca rubra as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

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.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2008. New plant records from O‘ahu for 2007. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2007. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 100:22-38.

U. S. Government. 2009. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. 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.