# Festuca

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{{Short description|Genus in the grass family Poaceae}}
{{Redirect|Helleria|the woodlouse genus|Helleria (woodlouse)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Lolium-pratense1web.jpg
|image_caption = ''[Festuca pratensis](/source/Festuca_pratensis)''
|display_parents = 3
|taxon = Festuca
|authority = [Tourn.](/source/Tourn.) ex [L.](/source/Carl_Linnaeus) (1753)
|synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets=true
 |title={{small|Synonymy}}
| ''Amphigenes'' {{small|Janka (1860)}}
| ''Anatherum'' {{small|Nábelek (1929), nom. illeg.}}
| ''Argillochloa'' {{small|W.A.Weber (1984)}}
| ''Asprella'' {{small|Host (1809), nom. illeg.}}
| ''Chloamnia'' {{small|Raf. (1825)}}
| ''Ctenopsis'' {{small|De Not. (1847)}}
| ''Dasiola'' {{small|Raf. (1825)}}
| ''Dielsiochloa'' {{small|Pilg. (1943)}}
| ''Distomomischus'' {{small|Dulac (1867)}}
| ''Drymochloa'' {{small|Holub (1984)}}
| ''Festucaria'' {{small|Link (1844), nom. illeg.}}
| ''Festucaria'' {{small|Heist. ex Fabr. (1759)}}
| × ''Festulpia'' {{small|Melderis ex Stace & R.Cotton (1974)}}
| ''Gramen'' {{small|E.H.L.Krause (1914), nom. illeg.}}
| ''Helleria'' {{small|E.Fourn. (1886), nom. illeg.}}
| ''Hellerochloa'' {{small|Rauschert (1982)}}
| ''Hesperochloa'' {{small|(Piper) Rydb. (1912)}}
| ''Leiopoa'' {{small|Ohwi (1932)}}
| ''Leucopoa'' {{small|Griseb. (1852)}}
| ''Loliolum'' {{small|V.I.Krecz. & Bobrov (1934)}}
| ''Loretia'' {{small|Duval-Jouve (1880)}}
| ''Micropyrum'' {{small|(Gaudin) Link (1844)}}
| ''Mygalurus'' {{small|Link (1821)}}
| ''Nabelekia'' {{small|Roshev. (1937)}}
| ''Narduretia'' {{small|Villar (1925)}}
| ''Narduroides'' {{small|Rouy (1913)}}
| ''Nardurus'' {{small|(Bluff, Nees & Schauer) Rchb. (1841)}}
| ''Podophorus'' {{small|Phil. (1856)}}
| ''Prosphysis'' {{small|Dulac (1867), nom. superfl.}}
| ''Psilurus'' {{small|Trin. (1820)}}
| ''Tragus'' {{small|Panz. (1813), nom. illeg.}}
| ''Vulpia'' {{small|C.C.Gmel. (1805)}}
| ''Wasatchia'' {{small|M.E.Jones (1912), nom. superfl.}}
| ''Zerna'' {{small|Panz. (1813), nom. superfl.}}
}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:328907-2 |title=''Festuca'' Tourn. ex L. |website= Plants of the World Online |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref>
}}

'''''Festuca''''' ('''fescue''') is a [genus](/source/genus) of [flowering plant](/source/flowering_plant)s belonging to the grass [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Poaceae](/source/Poaceae) (subfamily [Pooideae](/source/Pooideae)). They are [evergreen](/source/evergreen),  [herbaceous](/source/herbaceous_plant), or [perennial](/source/perennial_plant), tufted grasses with a height range of {{convert|10|-|200|cm|0|abbr=on}} and a [cosmopolitan distribution](/source/cosmopolitan_distribution), occurring on every continent except Antarctica.<ref name=North/> The genus is closely related to [ryegrass](/source/ryegrass) (''Lolium''), and recent evidence from [phylogenetic](/source/phylogeny) studies using [DNA sequencing](/source/DNA_sequencing) of plant [mitochondrial DNA](/source/mitochondrial_DNA) shows that the genus lacks [monophyly](/source/monophyly). As a result, plant [taxonomist](/source/taxonomist)s have moved several species, including the forage grasses tall fescue and meadow fescue, from the genus ''Festuca'' into the genus ''Lolium''<ref name="Darbyshire">{{cite journal |author=Darbyshire, S J |year=1993 |title=Realignment of ''Festuca'' subgenus ''Schedonorus'' with the genus ''Lolium'' (Poaceae) |journal=Novon |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=239–243 |doi=10.2307/3391460 |jstor=3391460|bibcode=1993Novon...3..239D |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/23644 }}</ref> or alternatively into the segregated genus ''[Schedonorus](/source/Schedonorus)''.

Because the [taxonomy](/source/taxonomy_(biology)) is complex, scientists have not determined how many true species belong to the genus, but estimates range from more than 400<ref name=stan>{{cite journal|jstor=23493233|title=A Revision of ''Festuca'' (Poaceae: Loliinae) in South American Paramos |last1=Stančík |first1=Daniel |last2=Peterson |first2=Paul M. |journal=Contributions from the United States National Herbarium |year=2007 |volume=56 |pages=1–184 }}</ref> to over 640.<ref name=gm>{{cite web |last1=Darbyshire |first1=S. J. |first2=L. E. |last2=Pavlick |url=http://herbarium.usu.edu/treatments/Festuca.htm |title=''Festuca'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025072042/http://herbarium.usu.edu/treatments/Festuca.htm |archive-date=2012-10-25 |website= Grass Manual. Flora of North America}}</ref><ref name=inda>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2007.11.022|title=Dated historical biogeography of the temperate Loliinae (Poaceae, Pooideae) grasses in the northern and southern hemispheres |year=2008 |last1=Inda |first1=Luis A. |last2=Segarra-Moragues |first2=José Gabriel |last3=Müller |first3=Jochen |last4=Peterson |first4=Paul M. |last5=Catalán |first5=Pilar |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=932–957 |pmid=18226932 |bibcode=2008MolPE..46..932I }}</ref><ref name="328907-2" >{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:328907-2 |title=''Festuca'' Tourn. ex L. |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |date=2022 |access-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>

Fescue [pollen](/source/pollen) is a significant contributor to [hay fever](/source/hay_fever).<ref name=esch>{{cite journal|doi=10.1385/criai:21:2-3:261|title=Common Allergenic Pollens, Fungi, Animals, and Arthropods |year=2001 |last1=Esch |first1=Robert E. |last2=Hartsell |first2=Cecelia J. |last3=Crenshaw |first3=Rodger |last4=Jacobson |first4=Robert S. |journal=Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology |volume=21 |issue=2–3 |pages=261–292 |pmid=11725608 |s2cid=10980420 |url=http://www.greerlabs.com/files/Library/Allergenic-Species/Common-Allergenic-Pollens-Fungi-Animals-and-Arthropods-CRA.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914023134/http://www.greerlabs.com/files/Library/Allergenic-Species/Common-Allergenic-Pollens-Fungi-Animals-and-Arthropods-CRA.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-14 }}</ref>

==Taxonomy==

The genus ''Festuca'' represents a major evolutionary line of the tribe [Poeae](/source/Poeae). The ancient group has produced various [segregate](/source/Segregate_(taxonomy))s that possess more advanced characteristics than ''Festuca'', including [racemose](/source/Raceme) inflorescences and more annual habits.

The word "''festuca''" is a [Latin](/source/Latin) word meaning "stem" or "stalk", first used by [Pliny the Elder](/source/Pliny_the_Elder) to describe a weed.<ref name=North/> The word ''Festuca'' first appears to describe grasses in [Dodoens](/source/Dodoens)'  "Stirpium historiae pemptades sex, sive libri XXX" in 1583. However, the plant Dodoens described as ''Festuca altera'' is truly ''[Bromus secalinus](/source/Bromus_secalinus)''. Other authors before [Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus) used the name to describe other various species of ''[Bromus](/source/Bromus)''. In the first edition of ''Genera Plantarum'', Linnaeus describes seven species of ''Festuca'', five of which are truly ''Bromus'' grasses, with the other two being ''[Festuca gigantea](/source/Festuca_gigantea)'' and ''[Festuca pratensis](/source/Festuca_pratensis)''. In 1753, the genus is accepted as first being formally described, in Linnaeus' "Species Plantarum". Eleven species were described, with ''[F. ovina](/source/Festuca_ovina)'' being the type species. Of these 11, one species was ''[Danthonia](/source/Danthonia)'', one ''[Poa](/source/Poa)'', and one ''[Koeleria](/source/Koeleria)''. The first major [monograph](/source/monograph) on the genus was [Hackel's](/source/Eduard_Hackel) "Monographia Festucarum Europaearum" in 1882. Since Linnaeus' publications, seven genera have been proposed for groups of perennial fescues and 15 for annual fescues, all with varying degrees of acceptance.<ref name=American>{{cite journal |jstor=23491541|title=North American Species of Festuca |last1=Piper |first1=Charles V. |journal=Contributions from the United States National Herbarium |year=1906 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 }}</ref> For example in 1906, the subgenus ''[Vulpia](/source/Vulpia)'' was introduced for North American species. The annual habit and shorter [anther](/source/anther)s of ''Vulpia'' have since been enough to distinguish ''Vulpia'' as a separate genus from ''Festuca''.<ref name=Canada>{{cite book |pages=1–3 |title=Fescue grasses of Canada |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/120714 |publisher=Agriculture Canada |author=Aiken, S. G. |author2=Darbyshire, S. J. |year=1990 |editor=Jane T. Buckley |isbn=0-660-13483-7}}</ref>

The taxonomy of the genus is ultimately problematic and controversial, as evidenced by the large number of small genera closely related to ''Festuca''. Often, distinguishing species within the genus requires the analysis of highly specific morphological differences on characters such as ovary pubescence or leaf [sclerenchyma](/source/sclerenchyma) patterns. This distribution of sclerenchyma tissue is an important distinguishing characteristic between species, and though species can be locally distinguished without analyzing these characteristics, to distinguish the genus as a whole, the analysis is necessary.<ref name=North/>

==Description==

''Festuca'' grasses are perennial and [bisexual](/source/Plant_reproduction) plants that are densely to loosely [cespitose](/source/cespitose). Some grasses are [rhizomatous](/source/Rhizome), some lack rhizomes, and rarely species are [stolon](/source/stolon)iferous. The [culm](/source/Culm_(botany))s of the grasses are typically glabrous and smooth, though some species have scabrous culms or culms that are pubescent below the [inflorescence](/source/inflorescence)s. The [leaf sheath](/source/leaf_sheath)s range from open to the base to closed to the top. Some species have sheaths that persist over years and typically have deciduous blades, and some species have sheaths that quickly shred into fibers and decay in [senescence](/source/Plant_senescence) and typically have blades that are not deciduous. Species lack [auricle](/source/Auricle_(botany))s. The [membranous](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) [ligule](/source/ligule)s measure {{convert|0.1-8|mm|abbr=on}} and are typically longest at the margins. The ligules are typically [truncate](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) and [ciliate](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms), though they can occasionally be [acute](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) or [erose](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms). The flat and [conduplicate](/source/conduplicate) leaf blades are [involute](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) or [convolute](/source/Convolute_(botany)) and are sometimes [glaucous](/source/glaucous) or [pruinose](/source/pruinose). The [abaxial](/source/abaxial) surfaces of leaf blades are glabrous or scabrous and occasionally pubescent or [puberulent](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms). The [adaxial](/source/adaxial) surfaces of leaf blades are typically scabrous, though occasionally are [hirsute](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) or puberulent. The abaxial [sclerenchyma](/source/sclerenchyma) tissue forms longitudinal strands that vary in presence from the margins and opposite of the [midvein](/source/midvein) to adjacent to some or every lateral vein. These longitudinal strands occasionally merge into interrupted or continuous bands. Bands of confluent strands that reach veins are known as "pillars". The adaxial sclerenchyma tissue sometimes forms strands that are opposite or extend to [epidermal](/source/Epidermis_(botany)) veins. Some strands form "girders" together with the abaxial sclerenchyma tissue that connect epidermides at some or all veins.<ref name=North>{{cite book |pages=389–392 |title=Flora of North America: North of Mexico |volume=24 |author=Flora of North America Editorial Committee |editor=Mary E. Barkworth |editor2=Kathleen M. Capels |editor3=Sandy Long |editor4=Laurel K. Anderton |editor5=Micheal B. Piep |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780195310719}}</ref>

The [inflorescence](/source/inflorescence)s of species are open or contracted [panicle](/source/panicle)s, occasionally [raceme](/source/raceme)s, with one to two (rarely three) branches at their lower [node](/source/Node_(botany)). The branches are erect and begin to spread during [anthesis](/source/anthesis), and occasionally lower branches are [reflexed](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms). The [spikelet](/source/spikelet)s have 2-12, mostly bisexual [floret](/source/floret)s. The [rachilla](/source/Rachilla_(floral_axis))s are typically either scabrous or pubescent, but can occasionally be smooth and glabrous. The subequal or unequal [glume](/source/glume)s are [ovate](/source/Glossary_of_leaf_morphology) to [lanceolate](/source/lanceolate), acute to [acuminate](/source/acuminate), and are typically exceeded by the florets. The lower glumes are as long or shorter than their adjacent [lemma](/source/Lemma_(botany))s and have one (rarely two or three) veins, and the upper glumes have three (rarely four or five) veins. The [calli](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) are typically glabrous and smooth, but can be occasionally scabrous or rarely pubescent. The [chartaceous](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) or sometimes [coriaceous](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) lemmas have somewhat [dorsal](/source/Dorsal_(anatomy))ly rounded and [distal](/source/distal)ly keeled bases. The lemmas typically have five (rarely six or seven) veins. The lemmas have acute to [attenuate](/source/Attenuation_(botany)) apices that are occasionally doubly pointed, and terminal [awn](/source/Awn_(botany))s or [mucro](/source/mucro)s. The bidentate [palea](/source/Palea_(botany))s are shorter to longer than the lemmas, with scabrous-ciliate veins. The regions between the veins are smooth and glabrous near the base of the paleas and become scabrous or puberulent distally. All grasses have three [anther](/source/anther)s. The [ovaries](/source/Ovary_(botany)) are glabrous with occasionally [hispidulous](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms) apices on which hairs persist when ovaries become [caryopses](/source/caryopses). The oblong caryopses have adaxial grooves. The linear [hila](/source/Hilum_(botany)) vary in length from half as long to as long as the caryopses.<ref name=North/>

[[File:Festuca pratensis (7902308284).jpg|thumb|300px|Fescue grass, [Montana](/source/Montana_(state))]]

==Uses==
Some fescues are used as [ornamental](/source/ornamental_plant) and [turf grasses](/source/Grass) and as [pasture](/source/pasture) and [hay](/source/hay) for livestock, being a highly nutritious stock feed.<ref name=gm/> ''[Festuca rubra](/source/Festuca_rubra)'' and [''F. rubra'' subsp. ''commutata''](/source/Festuca_rubra_subsp._commutata) are used as lawn grasses, and these species, ''[F. arundinacea](/source/Festuca_arundinacea)'' and ''F. trachyphylla'', are used in parks, deforested areas, and sports fields for land stabilization. ''[F. saximontana](/source/Festuca_saximontana)'' and ''[F. idahoensis](/source/Festuca_idahoensis)'' are used as rangeland grasses for livestock, and fescues often provide good forage for native wildlife.<ref name=Canada/> ''[F. ovina](/source/Festuca_ovina)'' and its various subspecies are the most important grazing fescues for North America, and ''F. arundinacea'' is one of the most important hay and pasture grasses in Europe.<ref name=American/>

Fescue quickly establishes on bare ground, suffocating native plants, and persists over several years. Native grassland plants take years to establish deep root system of 5–15 feet (species specific), while fescue roots maximum depth is 2–3 feet. Historically used in [soil erosion](/source/soil_erosion) control programs, Tall fescue (''F. arundinacea'') particularly, 'Kentucky 31', a [cultivar](/source/cultivar) species,  was used in land reclamation during the [Dust Bowl](/source/Dust_Bowl) of the 1930s in the US,<ref name="Schardl & Leuchtmann">{{cite book |vauthors=Schardl CL, Leuchtmann L |title=The Epichloë Endophytes of Grasses and the Symbiotic Continuum |publisher=[CRC Press](/source/CRC_Press) |others=The Fungal Community: Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem |edition=Third |editor1=J Dighton |editor2=J F White Jr. |editor3=P Oudemans |year=2005 |isbn=0-8247-2355-4 |pages=475–503 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258240134}}</ref> triggered by the removal of deep root systems for row crop cultivation. Fescues have been used as building material, as rope and as a variety of other things in indigenous Ethiopian communities, in particular the [Guassa Community Conservation Area](/source/Guassa_Community_Conservation_Area) where it is referred to as 'Guassa Grass'.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s10745-005-5159-9|title=Indigenous Common Property Resource Management in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia |year=2005 |last1=Ashenafi |first1=Zelealem Tefera |last2=Leader-Williams |first2=N. |journal=Human Ecology |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=539–563 |bibcode=2005HumEc..33..539A |s2cid=55025015 }}</ref> The grasses ''[F. amethystina](/source/Festuca_amethystina)'', ''[F. cinerea](/source/Festuca_cinerea)'', ''[F. elegans](/source/Festuca_elegans)'', ''[F. glauca](/source/Festuca_glauca)'', and ''[F. pallens](/source/Festuca_pallens)'' are all grown as ornamentals.<ref name=North/>

Fescue is sometimes used as feed for horses. However, fescue poisoning, caused by [ergot](/source/ergot) [alkaloid](/source/alkaloid)s produced by the [endophytic](/source/endophyte) [fungus](/source/fungus) ''[Epichloë coenophiala](/source/Epichlo%C3%AB_coenophiala)'', is a risk for pregnant mares.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant15.htm |title=Tall Fescue |publisher=Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine |archive-date=April 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413022101/http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant15.htm}}</ref> During the last three months of pregnancy fescue poisoning increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, retained placenta, absent milk production, and prolonged pregnancy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fescue Toxicosis in Horses |url=https://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/fesalk.html#treat |work=Department of Animal Science |publisher=Cornell University}}</ref> Incorporating [legume](/source/legume)s into the fescue can be a way to increase livestock gains and conception rates, even if the fescue is infected.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0008.html |title=Fescue Toxicosis |website=Ohio State University Extension}}</ref>

==Infrageneric ranks==
Infrageneric ranks:<ref>{{cite web |title=Tropicos — Windows |url=https://www.tropicos.org/name/Search?name=Festuca |access-date=2009-05-09}}</ref>

* ''Festuca sect. Amphigenes''	<small>(Janka) Tzvelev</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Aristulatae''	<small>E.B. Alexeev	</small>
* ''Festuca subg. Asperifolia''	<small>E.B. Alexeev 1981</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Atropis''	<small>(Trin.) 1936</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Aulaxyper''	<small>Dumort.</small>
* ''Festuca subg. Austrofestuca''	<small>Tzvelev	1971</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Banksia''	<small>E.B. Alexeev 1984</small>
* ''Festuca [unranked] Bovinae'' <small>Fr. ex Andersson 1852</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Bovinae''	<small>(Fr. ex Andersson) Hack. 1882</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Breviaristatae''	<small>Krivot.	1960</small>
* ''Festuca sect. Bromochloa''	<small>Drejer</small>

==Species==
{{Main|List of Festuca species|l1=List of ''Festuca'' species}}
Over 660 species are currently accepted.<ref name = powo/> Species include:<ref name=gm/><ref name=grin>{{GRIN genus|id=4658|name=Festuca}}</ref>
{{div col}}
*''[Festuca abyssinica](/source/Festuca_abyssinica)'' {{small|A.Rich.}}
*''[Festuca actae](/source/Festuca_actae)'' {{small|Connor}}
*''[Festuca alatavica](/source/Festuca_alatavica)'' {{small|(St.-Yves) Roshev.}}
*''[Festuca aloha](/source/Festuca_aloha)'' {{small|Catalán, Soreng & P.M.Peterson}}<ref name=cat>{{cite journal|jstor=41972126|title=''Festuca Aloha'' and ''F. Molokaiensis'' (Poaceae: Loliinae), Two New Species from Hawai'i |last1=Catalán |first1=Pilar |last2=Soreng |first2=Robert J. |last3=Peterson |first3=Paul M. |journal=Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas |year=2009 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=51–58 }}</ref> – aloha fescue
*''[Festuca alpina](/source/Festuca_alpina)'' {{small|Suter}} – alpine fescue
*''[Festuca altaica](/source/Festuca_altaica)'' {{small|Trin.}} – northern rough fescue, Altai fescue
*''[Festuca altissima](/source/Festuca_altissima)'' {{small|All.}} – wood fescue
*''[Festuca amethystina](/source/Festuca_amethystina)'' {{small|L.}} – tufted fescue
*''[Festuca ampla](/source/Festuca_ampla)'' {{small|Hack.}}
*''[Festuca amplissima](/source/Festuca_amplissima)'' {{small|Rupr. ex Galeotti}}
*''[Festuca arenaria](/source/Festuca_arenaria)'' {{small|Osbeck}} – rush-leaf fescue
*''[Festuca argentina](/source/Festuca_argentina)'' {{small|(Speg.) Parodi}}
*''[Festuca arizonica](/source/Festuca_arizonica)'' {{small|Vasey}} – Arizona fescue, pinegrass
*''[Festuca armoricana](/source/Festuca_armoricana)'' {{small|Kerguélen}}
*''[Festuca arvernensis](/source/Festuca_arvernensis)'' {{small|Auquier, Kerguélen & Markgr.-Dann.}} – field fescue
*''[Festuca baffinensis](/source/Festuca_baffinensis)'' – Baffin Island fescue
*''[Festuca beckeri](/source/Festuca_beckeri)''
*''[Festuca brachyphylla](/source/Festuca_brachyphylla)'' – alpine fescue, rock fescue
*''[Festuca breviglumis](/source/Festuca_breviglumis)'' –  Swallen<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-414660 |title=Festuca breviglumis Swallen — The Plant List |website=www.theplantlist.org |access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>
*''[Festuca brunnescens](/source/Festuca_brunnescens)''
*''[Festuca burnatii](/source/Festuca_burnatii)''
*''[Festuca caerulescens](/source/Festuca_caerulescens)''
*''[Festuca caldasii](/source/Festuca_caldasii)''
*''[Festuca californica](/source/Festuca_californica)'' – California fescue
*''[Festuca callieri](/source/Festuca_callieri)''
*''[Festuca calligera](/source/Festuca_calligera)'' – southwestern fescue
*''[Festuca campestris](/source/Festuca_campestris)'' – mountain rough fescue
*''[Festuca caprina](/source/Festuca_caprina)''
*''[Festuca chimborazensis](/source/Festuca_chimborazensis)''
*''[Festuca cinerea](/source/Festuca_cinerea)''
*''[Festuca circinata](/source/Festuca_circinata)''
*''[Festuca contracta](/source/Festuca_contracta)'' – tufted fescue
*''[Festuca cretacea](/source/Festuca_cretacea)''
*''[Festuca cumminsii](/source/Festuca_cumminsii)''
*''[Festuca chrysophylla](/source/Festuca_chrysophylla)''
*''[Festuca dahurica](/source/Festuca_dahurica)''
*''[Festuca dasyclada](/source/Festuca_dasyclada)'' – oil shale fescue
*''[Festuca densipaniculata](/source/Festuca_densipaniculata)''
*''[Festuca dimorpha](/source/Festuca_dimorpha)''
*''[Festuca djimilensis](/source/Festuca_djimilensis)''
*''[Festuca dolichophylla](/source/Festuca_dolichophylla)''
*''[Festuca donax](/source/Festuca_donax)''
*''[Festuca drymeja](/source/Festuca_drymeja)''
<!-- ''Festuca durandoi'' = ''Patzkea durandoi'' --> 
*''[Festuca durissima](/source/Festuca_durissima)''
*''[Festuca earlei](/source/Festuca_earlei)'' – Earle's fescue
*''[Festuca edlundiae](/source/Festuca_edlundiae)''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nature.ca/aaflora/data/www/pofeed.htm |title=Festuca edlundiae S. Aiken, Consaul and Lefkovitch |publisher=Canadian Museum of Nature |work=Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago}}</ref> – Edlund's fescue
*''[Festuca elegans](/source/Festuca_elegans)''
*''[Festuca elmeri](/source/Festuca_elmeri)'' – coast fescue
*''[Festuca eskia](/source/Festuca_eskia)''
*''[Festuca extremiorientalis](/source/Festuca_extremiorientalis)''
*''[Festuca filiformis](/source/Festuca_filiformis)'' – fine-leaved sheep's fescue
*''[Festuca flacca](/source/Festuca_flacca)''
*''[Festuca frederikseniae](/source/Festuca_frederikseniae)'' 
*''[Festuca gautieri](/source/Festuca_gautieri)'' – bearskin fescue
*''[Festuca gigantea](/source/Festuca_gigantea)'' – giant fescue
*''[Festuca glacialis](/source/Festuca_glacialis)''
*''[Festuca glauca](/source/Festuca_glauca)'' – blue fescue, gray fescue
*''[Festuca glumosa](/source/Festuca_glumosa)''
*''[Festuca gracillima](/source/Festuca_gracillima)''
*''[Festuca hallii](/source/Festuca_hallii)'' – plains rough fescue
*''[Festuca hawaiiensis](/source/Festuca_hawaiiensis)'' – Hawaii fescue
*''[Festuca heterophylla](/source/Festuca_heterophylla)'' – various-leaved fescue, shade fescue
*''[Festuca hyperborea](/source/Festuca_hyperborea)'' – boreal fescue 
*''[Festuca hystrix](/source/Festuca_hystrix)''
*''[Festuca idahoensis](/source/Festuca_idahoensis)'' – Idaho fescue, blue bunchgrass
*''[Festuca indigesta](/source/Festuca_indigesta)''
*''[Festuca jubata](/source/Festuca_jubata)'' – Macaronesia fescue
*''[Festuca juncifolia](/source/Festuca_juncifolia)'' 
*''[Festuca kingii](/source/Festuca_kingii)'' – spike fescue
*''[Festuca komarovii](/source/Festuca_komarovii)''
*''[Festuca kurtziana](/source/Festuca_kurtziana)''
*''[Festuca laxa](/source/Festuca_laxa)''
*''[Festuca lemanii](/source/Festuca_lemanii)'' – confused fescue
*''[Festuca lenensis](/source/Festuca_lenensis)'' – tundra fescue
*''[Festuca ligulata](/source/Festuca_ligulata)'' – Guadalupe fescue
*''[Festuca litvinovii](/source/Festuca_litvinovii)''
*''[Festuca longifolia](/source/Festuca_longifolia)'' – blue fescue
*''[Festuca longipes](/source/Festuca_longipes)''
*''[Festuca lucida](/source/Festuca_lucida)''
*''[Festuca magellanica](/source/Festuca_magellanica)''
*''[Festuca mairei](/source/Festuca_mairei)'' – Atlas fescue
*''[Festuca matthewsii](/source/Festuca_matthewsii)'' – alpine fescue tussock
*''[Festuca minutiflora](/source/Festuca_minutiflora)'' – smallflower fescue
*''[Festuca molokaiensis](/source/Festuca_molokaiensis)''<ref name=cat/> – Moloka'i fescue
*''[Festuca monticola](/source/Festuca_monticola)''
*''[Festuca muelleri](/source/Festuca_muelleri)''
*''[Festuca multinodis](/source/Festuca_multinodis)''
*''[Festuca nigrescens](/source/Festuca_nigrescens)'' – alpine Chewing's fescue
*''[Festuca novae-zelandiae](/source/Festuca_novae-zelandiae)'' – fescue tussock
*''[Festuca occidentalis](/source/Festuca_occidentalis)'' – western fescue
*''[Festuca octoflora](/source/Festuca_octoflora)''
*''[Festuca ovina](/source/Festuca_ovina)'' – sheep's fescue
*''[Festuca pallens](/source/Festuca_pallens)''
*''[Festuca pallescens](/source/Festuca_pallescens)''
*''[Festuca panciciana](/source/Festuca_panciciana)''
<!-- *''[Festuca paniculata](/source/Festuca_paniculata)'' – east alpine violet fescue = Patzkea paniculata -->
*''[Festuca paradoxa](/source/Festuca_paradoxa)'' – cluster fescue
*''[Festuca parciflora](/source/Festuca_parciflora)''
*''[Festuca perennis](/source/Festuca_perennis)''– (historical) perennial and Italian ryegrass
*''[Festuca petraea](/source/Festuca_petraea)'' – Azorean fescue
*''[Festuca picturata](/source/Festuca_picturata)''
*''[Festuca pilgeri](/source/Festuca_pilgeri)''
*''[Festuca polycolea](/source/Festuca_polycolea)''
*''[Festuca porcii](/source/Festuca_porcii)''
*''[Festuca procera](/source/Festuca_procera)''
*''[Festuca psammophila](/source/Festuca_psammophila)''
*''[Festuca pseudoeskia](/source/Festuca_pseudoeskia)''
*''[Festuca pseudodalmatica](/source/Festuca_pseudodalmatica)''
*''[Festuca pseudodura](/source/Festuca_pseudodura)''
*''[Festuca pseudovina](/source/Festuca_pseudovina)'' – pseudovina
*''[Festuca pulchella](/source/Festuca_pulchella)''
*''[Festuca punctoria](/source/Festuca_punctoria)''
*''[Festuca purpurascens](/source/Festuca_purpurascens)''
*''[Festuca pyrenaica](/source/Festuca_pyrenaica)''
*''[Festuca quadriflora](/source/Festuca_quadriflora)''
*''[Festuca richardsonii](/source/Festuca_richardsonii)'' – arctic fescue
*''[Festuca riccerii](/source/Festuca_riccerii)''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.actaplantarum.org/acta/galleria1.php?id=3976 |title=''Festuca riccerii'' |work=Galleria della Flora italiana |publisher=ActaPlantarum |language=it |access-date=30 April 2013 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616025648/http://www.actaplantarum.org/acta/galleria1.php?id=3976 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*''[Festuca rigescens](/source/Festuca_rigescens)''
*''[Festuca rivularis](/source/Festuca_rivularis)''
*''[Festuca rubra](/source/Festuca_rubra)'' – red fescue
**[''Festuca rubra'' subsp. ''commutata''](/source/Festuca_rubra_subsp._commutata) – Chewing's fescue
*''[Festuca rupicaprina](/source/Festuca_rupicaprina)''
*''[Festuca rupicola](/source/Festuca_rupicola)'' – furrowed fescue
*''[Festuca saximontana](/source/Festuca_saximontana)'' – Rocky Mountain fescue
*''[Festuca scabra](/source/Festuca_scabra)'' – munnik fescue
*''[Festuca scabriuscula](/source/Festuca_scabriuscula)''
*''[Festuca scariosa](/source/Festuca_scariosa)''
*''[Festuca sclerophylla](/source/Festuca_sclerophylla)''
*''[Festuca sibirica](/source/Festuca_sibirica)''
*''[Festuca sinensis](/source/Festuca_sinensis)''
*''[Festuca sodiroana](/source/Festuca_sodiroana)''
*''[Festuca sororia](/source/Festuca_sororia)'' – ravine fescue
*''[Festuca spectabilis](/source/Festuca_spectabilis)''
*''[Festuca stricta](/source/Festuca_stricta)''
*''[Festuca subulata](/source/Festuca_subulata)'' – bearded fescue
*''[Festuca subuliflora](/source/Festuca_subuliflora)'' – crinkle-awn fescue
*''[Festuca subulifolia](/source/Festuca_subulifolia)''
*''[Festuca subverticillata](/source/Festuca_subverticillata)'' – nodding fescue
*''[Festuca tatrae](/source/Festuca_tatrae)''
*''[Festuca thurberi](/source/Festuca_thurberi)'' – Thurber's fescue
*''[Festuca trachyphylla](/source/Festuca_trachyphylla)''
*''[Festuca vaginalis](/source/Festuca_vaginalis)''
*''[Festuca vaginata](/source/Festuca_vaginata)''
*''[Festuca valesiaca](/source/Festuca_valesiaca)'' – Volga fescue
*''[Festuca varia](/source/Festuca_varia)''
*''[Festuca venusta](/source/Festuca_venusta)''
*''[Festuca versuta](/source/Festuca_versuta)'' – Texas fescue
*''[Festuca violacea](/source/Festuca_violacea)''
*''[Festuca viridula](/source/Festuca_viridula)'' – green fescue
*''[Festuca vivipara](/source/Festuca_vivipara)'' – viviparous fescue
*''[Festuca viviparoidea](/source/Festuca_viviparoidea)'' – northern fescue
*''[Festuca washingtonica](/source/Festuca_washingtonica)'' – Washington fescue
*''[Festuca weberbaueri](/source/Festuca_weberbaueri)''
*''[Festuca xanthina](/source/Festuca_xanthina)''
*''[Festuca yalaensis](/source/Festuca_yalaensis)''<ref name=yala>{{cite journal|jstor=23230221|title=A New Rhizomatous Species of Festuca (Poaceae, Poeae) from Northwestern Argentina |last1=Müller |first1=Jochen |last2=Catalán |first2=Pilar |journal=Darwiniana |year=2010 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=87–92 }}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Formerly placed here===
Several former ''Festuca'' species are now placed in other genera, including species from subgenus ''Schedonorus''.
* ''[Locajonoa coerulescens](/source/Locajonoa_coerulescens)'' {{small|(Desf.) Soreng}} (as ''Festuca coerulescens'' {{small|Desf.}})
* ''[Lolium arundinaceum](/source/Lolium_arundinaceum)'' {{small|(Schreb.) Darbysh.}} (as ''Festuca arundinacea'' {{small|Schreb.}} and ''Festuca elatior'' {{small|L.}}) – tall fescue
* ''[Lolium giganteum](/source/Lolium_giganteum)'' {{small|(L.) Darbysh.}} (as ''Festuca gigantea'' {{small|(L.) Vill.}}) – giant fescue
* ''[Lolium mazzettianum](/source/Lolium_mazzettianum)'' {{small|(E.B.Alexeev) Darbysh.}} (as ''Festuca mazzettiana'' {{small|E.B.Alexeev}})
* ''[Lolium pratense](/source/Lolium_pratense)'' {{small|(Huds.) Darbysh.}} (as ''Festuca pratensis'' {{small|Huds.}}) – meadow fescue, English bluegrass

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Festuca}}
{{Wikispecies}}
{{Americana Poster|Fescue}}
* [http://imagedb.calsnet.arizona.edu:8080/imagedb/servlet/DBDisplayTaxon?tdisplay=4&taxon_name=Festuca University of Arizona Extension Service],{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} flora and fauna image gallery

{{Taxonbar|from=Q157337}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Festuca
Category:Grasses of Africa
Category:Grasses of Asia
Category:Grasses of Europe
Category:Grasses of North America
Category:Grasses of Oceania
Category:Grasses of South America
Category:Poaceae genera
Category:Pooideae
Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Festuca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festuca) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festuca?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.