Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.
tall fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
tall fescue
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, tufted grass, sometimes from short rhizomes, otherwise from fibrous roots; stems erect, 90-150 (200) cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth; blades in-rolled in young shoots, 4-12 mm wide; ear-shaped lobes at the leaf-bases sickle-shaped, slightly wavy or obscure, sparsely fringed with fine hairs on the margins; ligules 0.5-1.5 mm long, membranous.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open or stiffly erect, simple panicle, 10-35 cm long; spikelets 3- to 6- (9-) flowered, stalked, 8-15.5 mm long, each with 2 glumes; lower glumes 3-6 mm long, upper glumes 4.5-7 (9) mm long; lemmas (4) 5-9 (11.5) mm long, rough short-hairy or short bristlelike at least near the tips (rarely smooth), sometimes unawned, or if awned, the awns 0.3-2 (4) mm long, terminal or attached up to 0.4 mm below the tips; anthers 2.5-4 mm long.
Notes:
An important crop grown for seed production (primarily in the Peace River District), forage, soil stabilization, and coarse turf, it is increasingly planted in various habitats and becoming broadly adventive.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Schedonorus arundinaceus
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
5 | 5 | 5 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
1 | 0 | 2 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 4 | 5 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
E | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CWH(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to wet seepages, pastures, fields, meadows, roadsides and disturbed areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SW BC, rare eastward in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Festuca arundinacea Schreb.
Festuca elatior
Festuca elatior subsp. arundinacea (Schreb.) Hack.
Festuca elatior var. arundinacea (Schreb.) Wimm.
Festuca fenas Lag.
Festuca uechtritziana Wiesb.
Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire