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Poaceae
Festuca

not marked as a favorite taxon Festuca rubra Linnaeus ssp. rubra. Common name: Red Fescue. Phenology: Apr-Jul. Habitat: Dune grasslands, salt scrub, and borders of oligohaline to mesohaline marshes in the Coastal Plain (where presumably native), in middle- to high-elevation forests, rocky woodlands, barrens, grassy balds, and bogs in the Mountains (where also presumably native), and in fields, pastures, weedy clearings, and other open, disturbed habitats (where presumably introduced from Eurasia, adventive from native populations, or some complex mix of situations). In Kentucky, for instance, populations appear to be a mix of native populations on limestone bluffs and non-native populations in disturbed areas (Rodgers 2024). Distribution: In our area, this species is considered to be partly native and partly introduced.

Glossary (beta!)

Subgenus: Festuca. Section: Festuca.

Origin/Endemic status: W. North America

Taxonomy Comments: Festuca rubra, in the broad sense, is circumboreal, extending south (as a native) in North America to GA and MO. Many varieties or subspecies have been described in the F. rubra complex. It is not clear how our material should be subdivided (or whether it can be); we here presume that most of our material is ssp. rubra, but that is somewhat conjectural.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Can, FNA24, K1, K4, NE, NS, NY; = Festuca rubra L. var. rubra — F; < Festuca rubra L. — Ar, C, G, HC, Il, Meso6, Mi, Mo1, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, S13, Tn, Va. Basionym: Festuca rubra L. 1753

Links to other floras: = Festuca rubra ssp. rubra - FNA24

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Horticultural Information

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