Festuca californica

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Festuca californica
Festucacalifornica0.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Festuca
Species:
F. californica
Binomial name
Festuca californica

Festuca californica is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue.

Contents

This fescue species is native to the U.S. states of California and Oregon, where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral and oak woodlands, the former of which can be found in Northern and Southern coastal California and the latter in Central and Northern California. [1] [2]

Description

Festuca californica is a clumping perennial bunch grass, without rhizomes, that grows in greenish-gray tufts.

It reaches anywhere from 1.5–4.5 feet (0.46–1.37 m) in height, and 1.5–3.5 feet (0.46–1.07 m) in width. [3] The green-gray leaves are narrow and can reach 2 feet (0.61 m) long. Festuca californica has a yellow color when it blooms. Peak blooming time is March, April, May, June, and July. [4]

The inflorescence, on stems reaching up to 6 feet (180 cm), holds spikelets, each 1 to 2 centimeters long. In the spring and summer, the flowers are in large open sprays. The plant reproduces from seed and buds located at the base of the clump.

Uses

Cultivation

Festuca californica is cultivated as an ornamental grass by specialty plant nurseries for planting in traditional gardens, and as a potted plant for drought-tolerant and wildlife gardens and for natural landscaping projects. [5] [6] [7]

It is planted under Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) in gardens, being a drought-tolerant understory not requiring summer watering, that can endanger the trees. [8] Due to its deep and dense network of roots, it is also planted in landscapes for slope stabilization and erosion control. Its light requirement makes it necessary to be planted in part shade conditions. [4]

Cultivars

Cultivars are grown, with different foliage color and texture aesthetic variations, including:

  • Festuca californica 'Serpentine Blue' — blue grey-green. [9] [10]
  • Festuca californica 'River House Blues' (Ron's California Fescue) — chalky blue. [11]
  • Festuca californica 'Gabilan Blues' — shiny light blue. [12]
  • Festuca californica 'San Rafael Blue' — silver blue-green. [13]
  • Festuca californica 'Blue Fountain' - Suncrest Nurseries — chalky blue. [14]

Restoration

In ecological restoration projects, Festuca californica is used with other local native grasses to restore California coastal prairie habitats.

Native Americans

People native to California, such as the Pomo people, thatched their houses with Festuca californica to provide warmth during cold seasons. [15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ USFS: "Ecology of Festuca californica"
  2. ↑ Jepson
  3. ↑ Redding Watersmart: Festuca californica
  4. 1 2 "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  5. ↑ Las Pilitas Horticultural Database: Festuca californica (California Fescue )
  6. ↑ Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Festuca californica
  7. ↑ "Bewaterwise.com: California Fescue". Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  8. ↑ Bay Laurel Nursery: "Suggested Plants Compatible With Oaks"
  9. ↑ Yerba Buena Nursery: Festuca californica 'Serpentine Blue'
  10. ↑ Contra Costa water saving plants.com: Festuca californica 'Serpentine Blue'
  11. ↑ San Marcos Growers: Festuca californica 'River House Blues'
  12. ↑ Suncrest Nurseries: Festuca californica 'Gabilan Blues'
  13. ↑ Bay Natives Nursery: Festuca californica 'San Rafael Blue'
  14. ↑ Suncrest Nurseries: Festuca californica 'Blue Fountain'
  15. ↑ Stromberg, Mark (March 2007). California Grasslands: Ecology and Management. Oakland: University of California Press. pp. 57–66. ISBN   9780520933972.
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