Sheep’s fescue or sheep fescue is scientifically known as Festuca ovina is a species of grass of genus Festuca L. (fescue) and Poaceae ⁄ Gramineae (Grass family). It is occasionally confused with hard fescue (Festuca trachyphylla). The plant is native throughout Europe (with the exception of some Mediterranean areas) and eastwards across much of Asia; it has also been introduced to North America. Few of the popular common names of the plants are Common fescue, Sheep fescue, ovina and Blue Fescue. It is classified under the British NVC community CG2, i.e. Festuca ovina – Avenula pratensis grassland, one of the calcicolous grassland communities. This is one of the food plants for the caterpillars of several butterflies and moths, including the Gatekeeper and the Meadow Brown, the Small Heath, and the grass moth Agriphila inquinatella.
Sheep Fescue Facts
Name
Sheep fescue
Scientific Name
Festuca ovina
Native
Throughout Europe (with the exception of some Mediterranean areas) and eastwards across much of Asia
Common Names
Common fescue, Sheep fescue, ovina, Blue Fescue
Name in Other Languages
Albanian: Bishtpelëza leshtake, bishtpelëza pak e forte Arabic: Fustawkat al’aghnam (فستوكة الأغنام), fustawkat ghanmia (فستوكة غنمية) Bulgarian: Ovcha vlasatka (овча власатка) Catalan: Fanals, festuca duriúscula, festuca ovina Chinese: Yang mao (羊茅) Croatian: Vlasulja ovčja, obična vlasulja Czech: Kostřava ovčí Danish: Fåre-svingle, Stivbladet svingel, Ruig en Zinkschapengras Dutch: Schapegras, Schapen-zwenkgras, Ruig en Zinkschapengras, Genaald schapengras English: Common fescue, Sheep fescue, ovina, Blue Fescue Estonian: Lamba-aruhein Finnish: Lampaannata French: Coquiole, Fétuque des moutons, Fétuque ovine, petit foin, poil de chien, poil de loup Galician: Feisciú caorach Georgian: Tskhvris ts’ivana (ცხვრის წივანა) German: Echter Schwingel, Kleiner Bockbart, Meitschihaar, Schafschwingel, Schaf-Schwingel, Echter Schaf-Schwingel, fétuque des moutons, eigentlicher Schafschwingel, Greek: Festoúka ktinotrofikí (Φεστούκα κτηνοτροφική) Hungarian: Iuhcsenkesz Irish: Féar caorach, Feisciú caorach Italian: Festuca dei montoni, Festuca ovina, Gramigna betaiola, Gramigna fusaiola, gramigna stefaiola, paleo capillare Japanese: Ushi no ke gusa (ウシノケグサ) Korean: Gim ui teol (김의털) Latvian: Aitu auzene Lithuanian: Avinis eraičinas Macedonian: Овчи виук NorwegianBokmål: Bakkesvingel, sauesvingel Persian: علفبره Polish: Kostrzewa owcza Portuguese: Festuca-ovelha, laborinho Romanian: Păiușul oilor Russian: Ovsianitsa ovech’ia (Овсяница овечья) Serbian: Vijuk obični, obični vijuk (обични вијук), jančarica vlasulja (јанчарица власуља) Slovak: Kostrava ovčia Slovenian: Ovčja bilnica Spanish: Cañuela de oveja, barcea, cañotilla, escobilla, pan de corderos Swedish: Fårsvingel, Lampaannata, Vanlig fårsvingel Turkish: Koyunyumağı Ukrainian: Костриця овеча Welsh: Peiswellt y defaid
Plant Growth Habit
Low-growing stress tolerant, perennial cool season turf grass
Growing Climates
Mesic open hillsides, meadows, or open woodlands, exposed bench lands, hillsides and ridges, parks, meadows, forestlands, and open ponderosa and lodge pole pine stands, lowland calcareous grasslands, upland heaths, moors, mountain slopes, rock ledges, sea-cliffs
Soil
It grows on all exposures in a wide variety of soil conditions. It is often found in dry, well-drained, sandy, gravelly, or rocky soils; however is occasionally found on loamy sand soils, and on shallow, dry, gravelly soils
Plant Size
About 40 inches
Culms
Culms upright to inclined, usually with 2 nodes. Culm heights range from 15–40–60 cm depending on form
Stem
Erect stems, 6-24 inches tall (average is less than 14 inches tall).
Leaf
Leaf folded in the bud. Leaf blade needle-like, very slender, impossible to unfurl. Leaf color has many transitions from grey-green to sea-green to blue-green. The ligule is short and lobed at the sides
Flowering season
May to June
Flower
Panicle approx. 15 cm long with 1 side branch at the lower nodes. Upright initially, then spread horizontally. Spikelets have long pedicels, usually 5–9 florets which flower in April/May. Glumes rounded at the top, lemmas ovate, awn-tipped, and often purple
Fruit Shape & Size
Grain short and plump (mussel-shaped), lemma sharply pointed at the top, mostly awnless, but may also be awn-tipped. Pedicel 0.5-1 mm long (shorter than that of red fescue), widening towards the top and covered in short hairs.
Festuca saximontana var. purpusiana (St.-Yves) Fred. & Pavlick
Festuca scabrifolia (Hack.) Patzke & G.H.Loos
Festuca sciaphila Schur
Festuca sphagnicola B.Keller
Festuca sulcatiformis infrasubsp. publ
Festuca trachyphylla f. firmulacea Markgr.-Dann.
Festuca trachyphylla var. pubescens (Hack.) Tzvelev
Festuca valesiaca var. lasiantha Schur
Festuca verguinii Sennen
Festuca vorobievii Prob.
Festuca vulgaris (Wallr.) Hayek
Festuca vylzaniae (Vylzan ex E.B.Alexeev) Tzvelev
Festuca weilleri (Litard.) Romo
Festuca yarochenkoi (St.-Yves) E.B.Alexeev
Gnomonia ovina (L.) Lunell
Poa ovina var. nemoralis Wimm. & Grab.
Poa setacea Koeler
Plant Description
Sheep fescue is low-growing stress-tolerant, perennial cool-season turf grass that grows about 40 inches. The plant is found growing in mesic open hillsides, meadows, or open woodlands, exposed benchlands, hillsides and ridges, parks, meadows, forestlands, and open ponderosa and lodgepole pine stands, lowland calcareous grasslands, upland heaths, moors, mountain slopes, rock ledges, and sea-cliffs. It often grows on all exposures in a wide variety of soil conditions. It is often found in dry, well-drained, sandy, gravelly, or rocky soils; however is occasionally found on loamy sand soils, and on shallow, dry, gravelly soils. It is sometimes used as a drought-tolerant lawn grass. It has excellent winter hardiness and develops a large root mass making this a long-lived variety. Sheep Fescue differs from hard fescue in that it is shorter (5-10 cm or 2-4 inches), slightly more drought-tolerant, and has a blue-green color.
Leaves
Leaves are mainly basal, numerous, and rolled. They are very slender, rough to the touch on the margins, and 2-5 inches long. They are less than half the length of the stem; the stem leaves are few and very short. The sheaths are open, auricles are absent, and the ligule is membranous. The leaves are blue-green-gray in color which helps identify this species from other similar grasses.
Flowers
Panicle is approximately 15 cm long with 1 side branch at the lower nodes. It is initially upright and then spread horizontally. Spikelets have long pedicels, usually 5–9 florets that flower from May to June. Glumes are rounded at the top; lemmas are ovate, awn-tipped, and often purple. The flowers are hermaphrodites (have both male and female organs) and are normally pollinated by wind.
Fruits
Fertile flowers are followed by grain short and plump (mussel-shaped), lemma sharply pointed at the top, mostly awnless, but may also be awn-tipped. Pedicel is 0.5-1 mm long (shorter than that of red fescue), widening towards the top and covered in short hairs.
History
Sheep fescue is a cool season perennial grass native to Europe. Within North America, sheep fescue has been planted in open forests and mountain and foothill slopes from Alaska to North Dakota and south to Arizona and New Mexico. It has also been introduced to many locations in eastern North America.
