Festuca pratensis
(meadow fescue)

Preferred Common Name

• meadow fescue

Other Scientific Names

• Bromus pratense (Huds.) Spreng.
• Festuca americana (Pers.) F. Dietr.
• Festuca apennina De Not.
• Festuca arctica Schur
• Festuca australis Schur
• Festuca elatior L.
• Festuca elatior Linnaeus, misapplied
• Festuca elatior St.-Yves
• Festuca elatior var. pratensis (Hudson) A. Gray
• Festuca glabra Spreng.
• Festuca heteromalla Pourr.
• Festuca pluriflora Schult.
• Festuca poaeoides Michx.
• Lolium pratense (Hudson) Darbysh.
• Poa intermedia Koeler
• Schedenorus pluriflorus (Schult.) H.Scholz.
• Schedonorus americanus (Pers.) Roem. & Schult.
• Schedonorus apenninus (de Not.) Tzvelev
• Schedonorus pratensis (Hudson) Palisot de Beauvois
• Schedonorus radicans Dumort.
• Tragus pratensis (Huds.) Panz.

International Common Names

• English: English bluegrass
• Spanish: canuela de los prados
• French: fetuque des pres
• Chinese: cao dian yang mao
• Portuguese: festuca-dos-prados

Local Common Names

• Germany: Wiesen- Schwingel
• Italy: festuca dei prati
• Netherlands: Beemdlangbloem
• Sweden: aengssvingel

EPPO code

• FESPR (Festuca pratensis)

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Monocotyledonae
•                     Order: Cyperales
•                         Family: Poaceae
•                             Genus: Festuca
•                                 Species: Festuca pratensis

Festuca pratensis is a perennial grass (Poaceae). The species was first described from England in 1762 by William Hudson. This and several similar species, particularly F. arundinacea, form a group informally called the broadleaf fescues. The generic placement of these species has been a matter of controversy. Hybrids with members of the genus Lolium occur readily, such as with L. perenne. Some authors, including Soreng and Terrell (1997) treat the broadleaf fescues in the genus Schedonorus. Darbyshire (1993), however, felt that the recognition of Schedonorus seemed unwarranted, treating these species in the genus Lolium. Molecular studies have repeatedly confirmed the close relationship with Lolium, e.g. Torrecilla and Catalán (2002). Placement in Lolium has been followed by Weakley (2015). Most recently the name Schedonorus pratensis has been adopted by Flora of North America (Darbyshire, 2007) and by USDA-NRCS (2016) although USDA-ARS (2016) and most authorities outside the USA continue to use Festuca pratensis.       

The name Festuca elatior, described by Linnaeus, was formerly applied to this species, e.g. by Hitchcock and Chase (1951). Due to confusion of the application of the name it has been rejected by the International Botanical Congress (Reveal et al., 1991).

The following is adapted from Darbyshire (2007) and GrassWorld (2016).

Caespitose perennial. Culms to 1.3 m, erect to ascending. Leaf sheaths glabrous, auricles glabrous, ligule an eciliate membrane, to 0.5 mm, with falcate auricles; leaf blades 10–25 cm long, 2–7 mm wide. Panicles open, nodding, to 35 cm; branches at the lowest node 1 or 2, shorter branch with 1–2(3) spikelets, longer branch with 2–6(9) spikelets. Spikelets laterally compressed, usually with 4-10 florets (upper florets reduced), 12–16 mm long, 2–5 mm wide. Lower glumes 2.5–4.5 mm; upper glumes 3–5 mm; lemmas 5–8 mm, smooth to slightly scabrous distally, apices unawned, sometimes mucronate with mucros to 0.2 mm. Caryopses 3–4 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide.

Much of the spread of F. pratensis occurred in the late 1700s through the early 1900s. It was included by Michaux in his 1803 Flora Boreali-Americana (which he named F. poaeoides) from the Saint Lawrence River (Michaux, 1803). The species was introduced to China in the late 1800s or early 1900s (Shenglian et al., 2006). Introductions to other parts of Asia, including Japan and Taiwan, and Australia probably occurred during the same time period. The date of introduction to Argentina is unknown. While it was used in forage grass trials in Hawaii by the 1930s (Ripperton et al., 1933), it was not reported as established in the State until 2007 (Snow, 2008; Wagner et al., 2012). 

Soil drainage

• free

Soil texture

• light
• medium

Natural Dispersal

Little data is available on the dispersal mechanisms of F. pratensis. Likely vectors are wind and water, especially movement of seeds in irrigation water (US Forest Service, 2016). 

Vector Transmission

The awned lemmas are also able to attach to animal fur, and dispersal by cattle has been documented (Couvreur et al., 2004). 

Accidental Introduction

US Forest Service (2016) suggests that seeds may be spread in the manure of domestic livestock and by farm machinery.              

Intentional Introduction

F. pratensis has become established widely due to intentional introduction as a pasture grass. It may also be introduced accidentally as a contaminant in seed mixes (Vinall, 1909).

Impact on Habitats

F. pratensis is primarily found where intentionally introduced into pastures. The largest impact on habitats results from conversion of natural areas into pastures, resulting in a dramatic loss of diversity. F. pratensis has been documented as occurring in some natural areas, but these invasions appear to be sporadic. In Japan Miyawaki and Washitani (2004) reports that it occurs in riparian areas. In the USA it can occur in white oak forests (Schulz and Gray, 2013).

Impact on Biodiversity

F. pratensis may impact habitat for some rare species. This impact is probably indirect. Its use as a pasture grass has resulted in large areas of natural grassland and other ecosystems being converted to low diversity, managed fields. F. pratensis has been implicated in threatening the endangered mustard species Physaria globosa (Short’s bladderpod) in the USA (NatureServe, 2016).

• Invasive in its native range
• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Has a broad native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Tolerant of shade
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Long lived

• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Modification of fire regime
• Modification of nutrient regime
• Modification of successional patterns
• Monoculture formation
• Threat to/ loss of endangered species
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - shading

• Highly likely to be transported internationally accidentally
• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately
• Difficult/costly to control

Economic Value

F. pratensis has been valued for centuries as a pasture grass in temperate regions. While other species have become more popular in the last century, it is still valued in some regions, especially because it is more cold tolerant than Festuca arundinacea, although it is not as productive (Aiken et al., 1996; Casler et al, 2008).