Meadow Fescue - Schedonorus pratensis

Alternative names
Festuca pratensis
Description

Height 40 to 80 cm forming only small tufts and with leaves only 4 mm wide (with fine toothed less rough edges than Tall Fescue).  The shorter branch at each whorl of the inflorescence bears only 1 or 2 spikelets (Tall Fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) usually has 4).

 
Similar Species

Festuca rubra, Schedonorus arundinaceus (much larger)

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)

The panicle is branched. Each spikelet contains three or more florets which are awned. The lowest whorl has two branches, the shorter of which has only one or two spikelets. The auricles are glabrous

Recording advice

Either obtain confirmation from a County Recorder before submitting a record, or submit detailed images showing key features.  We recommend that you take and retain a specimen; the County Recorder may wish to see this for confirmation.

Habitat

Found in a wide range of neutral grasslands, usually on fertile soils, including pastures, hay meadows and water meadows also naturalised on roadsides, railway banks and waste ground.

When to see it

In flower during June, July and August.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Widespread and fairly frequent over most of Britain except the extreme north.

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 448 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Meadow Fescue
Species group:
Grasses, Rushes & Sedges
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
6
First record:
05/06/2015 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
17/07/2021 (Nicholls, David)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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