20 May 2005 Page 1 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

FACT SHEET: TALL FESCUE

Tall Fescue 

Schedonorus phoenix (Scop.) Holub

Grass family (Poaceae) 

NATIVE RANGE 

Europe and North Africa 

DESCRIPTION 

Tall fescue, previously known as Festuca and Lolium arundinaceum, is a cool 

season, perennial, sod-forming bunchgrass. It is a coarse and long-lived grass, 

with each bunch having 10 to 30 hollow stems, also known as culms, that are 1 

- 6 ft. tall (0.5-2 m). The culms bear a branched flowering structure called a 

panicle with 5 to 15 flower spikelets that are 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in. (10-19 mm) long, each 

spikelet containing 3 to 10 florets. The lemmas are about 1/3 in. (7-9 mm) long 

and have awns that are 1/100 to 2/10 in. (0.3-4 mm) long. The leaf blades are 

4 to 24 in. (10-61 cm) long and 0.2 to 4.0 in. (4-10 mm) wide. Mature panicles 

have a purplish cast which helps to distinguish them from other grasses. The 

ciliate auricles (earlike structures at the base of the leaf) help to distinguish tall 

fescue from meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis). 

ECOLOGICAL THREAT 

Tall fescue invades native grasslands, savannas, woodlands and other highlight natural habitats. In the Midwest, many thousands of acres of native prairie have been seeded with tall fescue for well 

meaning but misguided conservation purposes. In the Ozarks, woodlands and barrens were converted to tall fescue 

pasture to enhance grazing income. Some varieties of tall fescue, including Kentucky 31, harbor a mutualistic fungal 

endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) that gives it a competitive advantage over some plants, including legumes. As 

a result, communities dominated by tall fescue are often low in plant species richness. In addition, alkaloids produced by 

endophyte-infected tall fescue may be toxic to small mammals and of low palatability to ungulates (such as cattle, deer 

and elk). Many ground-nesting birds, including Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), are unable to use tall fescue fields as 

foraging or nesting habitat because of a lack of habitat structure and vegetation composition. 

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES 

Tall fescue occurs throughout the continental U.S. and has been reported to be 

invasive in natural areas in Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, 

Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, 

Washington, and Wisconsin. 

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES 

The primary habitats for tall fescue are agricultural fields and pastures and 

former tall-grass prairie. Tall fescue tolerates nutrient poor, compacted, and 

acidic soils. It also grows well in disturbed and waste areas such as highway 

and railroad right of ways. However, to maintain optimal grazing conditions, 

annual nitrogen inputs are needed. 

BACKGROUND 

Tall fescue was imported to the United States in the late 1800s. Major planting efforts for pasture improvement and 

erosion control began in the 1940’s. In the 1960’s, tall fescue was promoted for converting “poor” Ozark woodlands into 

productive rangeland. The variety K31 is widely used as a turf grass. Tall fescue is still promoted by a variety of 

agricultural agencies, however, the USDA Forest Service Southern Region recently (2001) prohibited the use of 

endophytic enhanced tall fescue on Forest Service lands. 
20 May 2005 Page 2 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

BIOLOGY & SPREAD 

Tall fescue spreads by vegetative means and by seed. Viable seeds can be 

dispersed by grazing animals and birds and remain in the seedbank for a long 

time. 

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

A common goal of management is to restore, to the extent possible, native 

vegetation on a site. Sites that were planted into crop fields (bare ground) 

require spring burning and herbicide treatment. It is important to burn fescue 

after green-up but before it becomes too green to burn. After the fescue has 

started to regrow and is 4-8 in. (10-20 cm) high, apply 20 gallons/acre (76 l/0.4 

ha) of a mixture of 1 quart (0.9 l) glyphosate, 8-12 oz. (237-355 ml) of 

imazapic, 1 quart (0.9 l) methylated seed oil, and 17 lbs (8 kg) of ammonium 

sulfate per 100 gals (379 l) of water. In sites where fescue was seeded on 

native grass, grazing and nitrogen should be withdrawn, and the site burned 

the following spring. By discontinuing nitrogen and burning, the fescue is set back. Withdrawing grazing protects the 

native grasses already present in the field so that they have an opportunity to develop dominance. Other options include 

burning, plowing, and seeding to an agricultural crop prior to reseeding with native plants. 

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: Always read the entire pesticide label carefully, follow all mixing and application instructions and wear all 

recommended personal protective gear and clothing. Contact your state department of agriculture for any additional pesticide use 

requirements, restrictions or recommendations. 

NOTICE: mention of pesticide products on this page does not constitute endorsement of any material.

CONTACTS 

For more information on the management of tall fescue, please contact: 

• Missouri Department of Conservation, www.conservation.state.mo.us 

• Native Grass Manager, www.prairiesource.com 

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS

Mixtures of native warm season grasses such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little 

bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), sideoats grama 

(Bouteloua curtipendula), eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides), and native forbs. 

OTHER LINKS 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Schedonorus%20phoenix

AUTHOR

Roger D. Applegate, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, KS 

EDITOR

Jil M Swearingen, National Park Service, National Capital Region, Center for Urban 

Ecology, Washington, DC 

REVIEWERS

Wayne Owen, U.S. Forest Service, Ecosystem Planning Biologist, Washington, DC 

Phillip Moore, Arkansas State Highway & Transportation Department, AR 

PHOTOGRAPHS 

James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, from www.invasive.org 

Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, from www.invasive.org 

REFERENCES 

Fishel, F. 1999. Missouri Weeds. The University of Missouri-System Board of Curators. 

http://www.psu.missouri.edu/fishel/grass_and_grasslike_plant_key.htm 
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Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

Hannaway, D., S. Fransen, J. Cropper, M. Teel, M. Chaney, T. Griggs, R. Halse, J. 

Hart, P. Cheeke, D. Hansen, R. Klinger, and W. Lane. 1999. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). PNW 504. 

Oregon State University Cooperative Extension, Corvallis, OR. 

Hodges, J. 1998. How to kill tall fescue—the recipe for success. Quail Unlimited Magazine, January-February. 

Hoveland, C. S., J. H. Bouton, and R. G. Durham. 1999. Fungal endophyte effects on production of legumes associated 

with tall fescue. Agronomy Journal 91:897-902. 

Missouri Department of Conservation. Tall fescue and Missouri wildlife. 

www.conservation.state.mo.us/landown/grass/fescue/. Accessed 8/28/02. 

Mitchell, R. L., A. L. Ewing, and W. E. McMurphy. 1985. N, P, and K fertlization of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea 

Schreb.) overseeded range in eastern Oklahoma. Journal of Range Management 38(5):455-457. 

Redmon, L. A., P. W. Pratt, and R. L. Woods. Tall fescue in Oklahoma. Extension Facts F-2559. Oklahoma Cooperative 

Extension Service, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. 

Roberts, C. 2000. Tall fescue toxicosis. MU Guide G4669. University of Missouri Extension, Columbia, MO. 

muestension.missouri.edu. 

Spyreas, G., D. J. Gibson, and B. A. Middleton. 2001. Effects of endophyte infection in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea: 

Poaceae) on community diversity. International Journal of Plant Science 162(6):1237-1245. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Tall Fescue 

(Schedonorus phoenix). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=3037. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA. 

Virginia Native Plant Society. Invasive alien plant species of Virginia tall fescue (Festuca elatior L.). Virginia Native Plant 

Society, Annandale, VA.