Description

General: Arizona fescue is a native, cool season, long lived perennial bunch grass. The plant has no rhizomes. The culms or stems can range from about 1 to 3 feet tall, clustered, pale blue-green, and are rough to the touch. Leaf blades are mostly basal, pale blue-green, 6 to 10 inches long, shaped like a string, and rough to the touch. The inflorescence is a panicle about 3-8 inches long. It has a deep, dense fibrous root system (Harrington, 1954; Guker, 200; Gay, et al., 1965)

Distribution:

For individual county distribution, within each state where Arizona fescue occurs, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Habitat: Arizona fescue occurs in almost pure stands under coniferous canopies. Grass species such as blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and mountain muhly (Muhlenbergia montana) are sometimes found growing along with Arizona fescue (Guker, 2006).