Common name: Red Fescue
Festuca rubra subsp. rubra L. APNI* 
Description: Rhizomatous, tufted perennial to 0.5 m high.
Leaves with ligule membranous, to 0.5 mm long, truncate; auricles membranous, rounded, glabrous; blade tightly inrolled, bristle-like, upper surface with ribs minutely pubescent, lower surface scabrous toward apex, glabrous.
Inflorescence compact, narrow-oblong, 4–10 cm long, to 1.5 mm wide. Spikelets 7–9 mm long; florets 5 or 6, uppermost floret reduced or rachilla extended as a sterile projection c. 1.5 mm long. Glumes unequal, awnless, central nerve smooth or scabrous, glabrous; lower 2–3 mm long, subulate; upper c. 4 mm long, acute. Lemmas 4–5 mm long, tapering to awn, round on back, smooth, or upper 30% scabrous, glabrous; awn terminal, straight, to 2.5 mm long, scabrous; callus glabrous. Palea subequal to lemma, acute, 2-keeled, keel scabrous, glabrous.
Flowering: spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Planted as a lawn grass. Native of Eur., Asia & Amer.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *NT, *CT, *ST
Other Australian states: *Vic. *Tas.
| The single subspecies in NSW. Characters and distribution as for the species in NSW. |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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