Red Fescue

Festuca rubra

—

Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: About 2 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

See native alternatives

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

Plant this instead

Your county

Choose your county to list local plants first.

Quill Sedge
Carex tenera
Sun: Full sun, Part shade, Shade. Soil: Average to wet. Flowers: Green.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Eastern Woodland Sedge
Carex blanda
Sun: Full sun, Part shade, Shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to wet. Flowers: Green.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Oval-leaf Sedge
Carex cephalophora
Sun: Part sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Green.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: Mid spring
Fruiting season: Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 4 Alabama counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Festuca

Acrolophus popeanellaClemen's Grass Tubeworm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Atalopedes huronSachem
Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
Pediasia trisectaSod Webworm Moth, Larger Sod Webworm
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

6BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Festuca

Alectoris chukarChukar
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Spizella pusillaField Sparrow
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Poaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–6b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Yellow
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Spring
Fruit ends: Summer

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Mid spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–6b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “About 2 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Very dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNA
Global rank	G5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source