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Clustered Fescue

Festuca paradoxa

Found in bottomlands and moist uplands over mafic or calcareous rock. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
3–4 feet
Light
Full to part sun
Soil moisture
Average to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
May to July

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 26 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

10CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Festuca

  • Acrolophus popeanellaClemen's Grass Tubeworm
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
  • Atalopedes huronSachem
  • Chrysoteuchia topiariusCranberry Girder, Subterranean Webworm, Topiary Grass-Veneer
  • Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
  • Hesperia sassacusIndian Skipper
  • 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)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist 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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Yellow, green or brown

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “May to July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow, green or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Height · “3–4 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Full to part sun” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Soil · “wet to medium” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading

Conservation status

Virginia rankS3S4
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources