Tall Fescue
Festuca arundinacea (syn. Schedonorus arundinaceus) · Cool-season, Perennial, C3
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae, tribe Poeae
Grass Category
Lawn, Turf, and Forage Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Turf-Type Tall Fescue (TTTF)
Hardiness Zones
USDA zones 4-7; highly successful in the 'Transition Zone' where other grasses fail due to heat. Good cold tolerance and high heat tolerance.
About This Grass
A robust, hardy cool-season grass with a bunching growth habit. It features a medium-to-dark green color and a moderately dense canopy. In unmowed states, it can reach 3-4 feet with open panicle seed heads, but in lawns, it provides a coarse to medium-textured carpet.
Blade Characteristics
Width: 4-10mm (coarse for older varieties, medium for TTTF); Shape: Flat with prominent longitudinal veins on the upper surface; Tip: Pointed and sharp; Color: Deep green to dark green; Vernation: Rolled in the bud; Ligule: Short, membranous; Auricles: Small, blunt or absent, sometimes with fine hairs.
Root System
Deep fibrous root system (often 2-3 feet deep); low thatch-forming tendency; moderate establishment speed from seed; excellent wear recovery and high drought tolerance due to depth.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and North Africa; widely naturalized in North America and temperate climates globally.
Growth Habit
Bunch-type (clump-forming); occasionally produces very short, weak rhizomes.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full sun to partial shade; prefers 6+ hours of sun but is the most shade-tolerant of the common cool-season turfgrasses. Requires deep, infrequent watering. Highly drought-tolerant once established.
Mowing & Maintenance
Height: 3.0 to 4.0 inches; Frequency: Weekly; Fertilization: 2-4 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually; Low to Medium maintenance; requires periodic overseeding due to lack of spreading rhizomes.
Special Characteristics
Excellent wear and traffic tolerance; high disease resistance to brown patch (though susceptible in high humidity); extremely deep-rooted for drought survival; good salt tolerance.
Ecological Information
Introduced species in North America; provides soil stabilization on slopes; used in pastures for livestock (though some varieties contain endophytes); can be invasive in native prairie restorations; often blended with Kentucky Bluegrass.