James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Festuca arundinacea, F. elatior var. arundinacea,
Festuca elatior ssp. arundinacea

Duration: Perennial

Habit: Grass/Grasslike

Listed by:
Invasive Plant Atlas of the US: 1
Federal Noxious Weed: 0
TDA Noxious Weed: 0
TPWD Prohibited Exotic Species: 0

Description: Erect, tufted cool-season perennial grass 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) in height, green in winter and spring, during which it is the most common green bunchgrass. Dark-green leaves appearing in late winter, usually flowering in spring (infrequently in late summer). Semidormant during heat of summer, with whitish seedstalks persisting. Growth resuming in fall and continuing into early winter.

History: Introduced from Europe in the early to mid-1800s. Recognized as a valuable forage grass in 1930s when the ecotype Kentucky 31 was discovered. Now widely distributed most everywhere in the World. Established widely for turf, forage, soil stabilization, and wildlife food plots.

Biology & Spread: Tall fescue spreads by vegetative means and by seed. Viable seeds can be dispersed by grazing animals and birds and remain in the seedbank for a long time.

Ecological Threat: Tall fescue invades native grasslands, savannas, woodlands and other high-light natural habitats. In the Midwest, many thousands of acres of native prairie have been seeded with tall fescue for well meaning but misguided conservation purposes. In the Ozarks, woodlands and barrens were converted to tall fescue pasture to enhance grazing income. Some varieties of tall fescue, including Kentucky 31, harbor a mutualistic fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) that gives it a competitive advantage over some plants, including legumes. As a result, communities dominated by tall fescue are often low in plant species richness. In addition, alkaloids produced by endophyte-infected tall fescue may be toxic to small mammals and of low palatability to ungulates (such as cattle, deer and elk). Many ground-nesting birds, including Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), are unable to use tall fescue fields as foraging or nesting habitat because of a lack of habitat structure and vegetation composition.

US Habitat: The predominant cool-season bunchgrass. Occurs as tufted clumps or small to extensive colonies along forest margins and right-of-ways, and widely escaped to invade new forest plantations, roads, openings, and high-elevation balds. Grows on wet to dry sites. Spreads by expanding rootcrowns and less by seeds. Certain varieties poisonous to livestock and wildlife by infecting them with an endophytic fungus.

Distribution

US Nativity: Introduced to U.S.

Native Origin: Not Found (Bailey, L.H. and E.Z. Bailey, Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada, MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York , (1977).); NatureServe Explorer

US States: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY

Resembles/Alternatives: Mixtures of native warm season grasses such as:
big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides)

Management: A common goal of management is to restore, to the extent possible, native vegetation on a site. Sites that were planted into crop fields (bare ground) require spring burning and herbicide treatment. It is important to burn fescue after green-up but before it becomes too green to burn. After the fescue has started to regrow and is 4-8 in. (10-20 cm) high, apply 20 gallons/acre (76 l/0.4 ha) of a mixture of 1 quart (0.9 l) glyphosate, 8-12 oz. (237-355 ml) of imazapic, 1 quart (0.9 l) methylated seed oil, and 17 lbs (8 kg) of ammonium sulfate per 100 gals (379 l) of water. In sites where fescue was seeded on native grass, grazing and nitrogen should be withdrawn, and the site burned the following spring. By discontinuing nitrogen and burning, the fescue is set back. Withdrawing grazing protects the native grasses already present in the field so that they have an opportunity to develop dominance. Other options include burning, plowing, and seeding to an agricultural crop prior to reseeding with native plants.

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE PESTICIDE LABEL CAREFULLY, FOLLOW ALL MIXING AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND WEAR ALL RECOMMENDED PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR AND CLOTHING. CONTACT YOUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL PESTICIDE USE REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS. MENTION OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS ON THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT OF ANY MATERIAL.

Listing Source

Texas Department ofAgriculture Noxious Plant List
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Prohibited Exotic Species
Invaders Program
Federal Noxious Weed
Union of Concerned Scientists
United States Forest Service Southern Research Station

Text References

Fishel, F. 1999. Missouri Weeds. The University of Missouri-System Board of Curators. http://www.psu.missouri.edu/fishel/grass_and_grasslike_plant_key.htm

Hannaway, D., S. Fransen, J. Cropper, M. Teel, M. Chaney, T. Griggs, R. Halse, J.

Hart, P. Cheeke, D. Hansen, R. Klinger, and W. Lane. 1999. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). PNW 504. Oregon State University Cooperative Extension, Corvallis, OR.

Hodges, J. 1998. How to kill tall fescue

Data Source

APWG WeedUS Database

Miller, J.H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 pp (USDA SRS).

https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_loar10.pdf

Last Updated: 2024-02-09 by TISI