Fescue (3)

Thurber's Fescue
Festuca thurberi

Family: Grass (Poaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: June 14, 2011
Location: Cerro Grande Trail, NM
Life Zones: Montane to alpine
Habitat: Open forest, dry meadows

Grows to 3ft in clumps with matted dry leaves at the base. Leaves are narrow and rolled compared to Bromes. Flower head is branched and open, 4-6" long, slightly drooping. Flower spikes are about ½" long and pointed. Dominant in aspen, spruce and sagebrush communities.

Tall Fescue
Festuca arundinacea (Schedonorus arundinaceus)

Family: Grass (Poaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: October 4, 2014
Location: Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Plains and foothills
Habitat: Moist grasslands, riverbanks

Grows in clumps to 6ft tall with a stout stem that has swollen nodes towards the base and mostly basal leaves. Leaves are up to 18" long, have rough edges and are shiny underneath. New leaves are rolled inward. The seed head spreads out with maturity. Flower spikes are about ½" long and purplish.

Colorado Fescue
Festuca brachyphylla subsp. Coloradensis

Family: Grass (Poaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: July 9, 2015
Location: Old Monarch Pass, CO
Life Zones: Alpine
Habitat: Rocky slopes

Grows less than 5" high, erect, with narrow leaves half the height of the stems. Flower spikes are ½" long and purplish.