BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Festuca californica | California Fescue 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
California fescue is a native, perennial bunchgrass [5,9].  Culms are
16 to 47 inches (40-120 cm) long [6,9,10].  Leaf blades are firm,
scabrous, and 4 to 39 inches (10-100 cm) long [5].  The inflorescence is
an open sparsely branched panicle 4 to 12 inches (10-30 cm) long; the
branches usually occur in pairs [5,6].  Spikelets are four to six
flowered [5,9].  The lemma is acuminate or short awned [6,7].  The fruit
is a caryopsis.  California fescue does not produce rhizomes [5].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   hemicryptophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
California fescue sprouts from perennating buds at the base of the
culms.  It also reproduces by seed [5].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
California fescue occurs on open dry ground, chaparral [5,9], thickets,
open forests [5,6], wood borders, shaded places [9], and moist
streambanks [7].  It occurs at elevations below 6,500 feet (1,981 m)
[5,9,10].

Festuca californica var. parishii occurs on dry benches at elevations
of 2,500 to 6,500 feet (762-1,981 m) [10].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

California fescue grows in both open and shaded areas [5,6,7,9].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
California fescue blooms from April to July [9].

Festuca californica var. parishii blooms from May to July [10].

Related categories for Species: Festuca californica | California Fescue