Festuca arizonica, commonly called Arizona fescue, is a grass found in western North America, in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. This species also has the common names mountain bunchgrass and pinegrass. This grass lacks rhizomes,Festuca arizonica. Grass Manual Treatment. but it has a large, fibrous root system and it can be used for erosion control.Festuca arizonica. USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. The stems grow up to one meter tall. They are rough-textured and blue-green in color. The rough, blue-green leaf blades are "shaped like a string" and measure up to 10 inches long. The inflorescence is a branching array up to 20 centimeters long which may be narrow or somewhat open in shape. This grass grows on loams, including clay loams, and gravelly and sandy soil types. It usually grows in ecosystems dominated by the ponderosa pine. It may grow alongside blue grama and mountain muhly grasses.Festuca arizonica. USDA NRCS Plant Guide. It is tolerant of shade and drought. This species is somewhat palatable to domestic ungulates, and it provides forage for wild animals such as deer and bighorn sheep. It can be planted in revegetation efforts on reclaimed land such as mine spoils, as long as the area receives adequate precipitation. It can also be used as an ornamental in gardens, but it does not tolerate trampling. The cultivar 'Redondo' is available.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
⚠ sources differ — GIFT: 0.61 m · USDA: 0.61 m · TRY: 0.338 m
Seed mass0.808 mg
Seed mass max0.75 mg
Seed mass min0.75 mg
Life cycle & reproduction26
After harvest regrowth rateSlow
Bloom periodLate Spring
Coppice potentialNo
Deciduousnessdeciduous
Flower colouryellow
Flower conspicuousNo
Fruit seed period beginSpring
Fruit seed period endSummer
Growth rate USDASlow
Life formperennial
Life spanperennial
Lifespan categoryModerate
Propagated by bare rootNo
Propagated by bulbNo
Propagated by containerNo
Propagated by cormNo
Propagated by cuttingsNo
Propagated by seedYes
Propagated by sodNo
Propagated by sprigsNo
Propagated by tubersNo
Raunkiær life formhemicryptophyte
Resprout abilityNo
Seed spread rateSlow
Seedling vigorLow
Vegetative spread rateNone
Diet & foraging1
Parasiteindependent
Habitat & environment25
Active growth periodSpring
Adapted to coarse textured soilsNo
Adapted to fine textured soilsYes
Adapted to medium textured soilsNo
Aquaticterrestrial
BloatNone
Climatetemperate
Climberself-supporting
Epiphyteterrestrial
Foliage colorGreen
Foliage porosity summerDense
Foliage porosity winterPorous
Foliage textureMedium
Fruit colourbrown
Growth formherb
Growth form USDABunch
Hedge toleranceNone
Known allelopathNo
Leaf retentionNo
Low growing grassNo
Mycorrhiza typearbuscular
Root depth min10 in
Shape and orientationErect
Small grainNo
Woodinessnon-woody
Physiology & chemistry27
Anaerobic toleranceNone
C:N ratioHigh
Caco3 toleranceHigh
Cold stratification requiredNo
Drought toleranceMedium
Fertility requirementLow
Fire resistantNo
Fire toleranceLow
Frost free days min150 days
Leaf C:N ratio33.17 g/g
Leaf c417 mg/g
Leaf dry-matter content (LDMC)362 mg/g
Leaf n12.74 mg/g
Leaf p2.84 mg/g
Moisture useLow
Nitrogen fixation levelNone
Photosynthetic pathwayC3
Precipitation max16 in
Precipitation min10 in
Protein potentialMedium
Salinity toleranceNone
Shade toleranceHigh
Soil pH max7.6 pH
Soil pH min6.4 pH
Specific leaf area (SLA)13.58 mm²/mg
Temperature min-23 °F
Wood density325 mg/cm³
Uses & economy15
Berry nut seed productNo
Christmas tree productNo
Commercial availabilityRoutinely Available
Fodder productYes
Lumber productNo
Naval store productNo
Nursery stock productNo
Palatable browse animalMedium
Palatable graze animalMedium
Palatable humanNo
Post productNo
Pulpwood productNo
Seeds per pound480 500 per lb
ToxicityNone
Veneer productNo
Other traits4
Fall conspicuousNo
Fruit seed abundanceHigh
Fruit seed conspicuousNo
Fruit seed persistenceNo
05DNA & barcoding3 specimens
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Festuca arizonica has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens3
Marker genes2
GenBank sequences5
eDNA detections3
Countries1
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★ITS5★ITS2
fungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB
The complete instruction manualFestuca arizonica carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy100% within 1 km
≤100 m 7≤1 km 2
9 georeferenced · 10 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor19
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy59% within 1 km
≤100 m 65≤1 km 116≤10 km 119>10 km 5
305 georeferenced · 355 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence660
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions39 of 58 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Albuquerque, US
98
Flagstaff, US
77
DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record
65
Bronx, US
55
ASUlocation not on record
45
Denver, US
44
Musee des Dinosaures d'Esperaza (Aude)location not on record
42
DOI/NPS, Greenbelt Parklocation not on record
22
Phoenix, US
22
Logan, US
20
Wuzhou, CN
18
EL PASO, US
14
Provo, US
14
Durango, US
13
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
12
San Angelo, US
7
Saint Louis, US
7
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratorylocation not on record
7
Riverside, US
7
USFSlocation not on record
6
Torreón, MX
6
Bloomington, US
5
Lubbock, US
3
Tempe, US
3
Austin, US
3
Durango, MX
3
Tampa, US
2
BClocation not on record
2
Madison, US
2
Montecillo, Texcoco, MX
2
Claremont, US
2
US
2
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
2
Davis, US
2
Kew, GB
2
Mexico City, MX
2
Berlin, DE
1
Bureau of Land Management, Caliente Field Officelocation not on record
1
San Luis Obispo, US
1
Pullman, US
1
Chadron, US
1
Northern Arizona University, School of Forestrylocation not on record
1
Honolulu, US
1
Columbia, US
1
MAlocation not on record
1
Museo civico La Terra e l'Uomo di Crocetta del Montellolocation not on record
1
China Agricultural Universitylocation not on record
1
US
1
San Diego, US
1
Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record
1
AUAlocation not on record
1
Pocatello, US
1
Forest Herbarium Ibadan (FHI)location not on record
1
Jurica-Suchy Nature Museumlocation not on record
1
Austin, US
1
Moscow State Universitylocation not on record
1
Angwin, US
1
St. Paul, US
1
58 institutions · 660 of 660 vouchered records shown
09Environmental DNA3 detections
Where the DNA of Festuca arizonica was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found3
Studies independent surveys1
Countries1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 3 detections have coordinates
Open the map1 country0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median16.9 °C 16.9–16.9
Seasonal swing summer↔winter19.9 °C
Max temp (day)23.6 °C
Min temp (night)10.6 °C
Precipitation118 mm/mo
Air humidity51.8 %
Moisture balance-28.5 mm/mo
Vapour deficit927 Pa
Wind speed1.50 m/s
Cloud cover18.3 %
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 1 detection point · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.