Festuca arundinacea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Festuca arundinacea |
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Festuca
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arundinacea
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Festuca arundinacea is a type of grass often called tall fescue. It is also known by other names like Schedonorus arundinaceus and Lolium arundinaceum. This grass grows best in cooler weather and lives for many years. It forms clumps, not spreading widely. Tall fescue comes from Europe.
People use tall fescue for many things. It is an important plant for feeding farm animals (called forage grass). Many different types of tall fescue have been grown for farming. It is also used in gardens because it looks nice. Sometimes, it helps clean up polluted soil.
In Europe, you can find tall fescue in wet grasslands and along river banks. It also grows well near the coast. In places like New Zealand, where it was brought from Europe, it grows a lot in salt marshes.
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History of Tall Fescue
Tall fescue was first grown and studied at Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom.
Tall Fescue in the U.S.
Tall fescue came to the United States in the late 1800s. But it did not become widely used until the 1940s. Just like in Europe, tall fescue became a very important grass for feeding farm animals in the U.S. Many different types of it are grown there now.
Besides being used for animal feed, it is also important for lawns and for stopping soil from washing away. Tall fescue can handle heat better than most other cool-season grasses. It also has roots that grow very deep. This grass is not native to the U.S., but it grows well in the "transition zone" of the Mid Atlantic and Southeastern United States. It now covers over 35,000,000 acres (140,000 km2) there.
Sometimes, tall fescue can grow too much and become an invasive species. This has happened in some natural areas in California.
The most common type of tall fescue grown in the United States is called Kentucky 31. In 1931, a professor named E. N. Fergus found seeds of this grass. He found them growing well on a hillside in Kentucky during a dry period. He was very impressed by how green and healthy it looked.
He took some seeds and started growing them. He saw how well it performed. In 1943, this type of tall fescue was officially named Kentucky 31. Today, it is found on many grasslands in the southeastern U.S. Kentucky 31 is strong and can grow in poor soil. It also resists pests and dry weather. It is mostly used in pastures and places that do not need much care.
Plant breeders have made new types of tall fescue. These new types are dark green and have thinner leaves than Kentucky 31. You can even find tall fescue growing on the South Lawn of the White House.
What Tall Fescue Looks Like
Tall fescue is a grass that lives for many years. It grows in clumps. Its leaves are thick and wide. They have clear lines (veins) running along their length. If you run your fingers along the edge of a leaf, you might feel small "teeth." The underside of the leaf can be shiny.
When new leaves grow, they are rolled up, not folded. This is a special way to tell tall fescue apart from many other grasses. The small parts at the base of the leaf, called auricles, are usually blunt. The main stem of the grass is round. This grass usually grows between 2 and 4 feet (0.6 and 1.2 meters) tall when it has seed heads.
Tall fescue spreads by growing new shoots from its base. It also spreads by seeds. It does not spread using underground stems like some other grasses. However, each clump of tall fescue can have many shoots that make the clump wider. There are about 227,000 seeds in one pound of tall fescue.
Tall fescue grows best in soils that are not too acidic or too basic. It can grow all year if the weather is right. But it usually stops growing when the soil temperature drops below 40°F (4°C).
Tall Fescue and Its Fungi Friends
Tall fescue can grow well in many types of soil. This includes poor, acidic, or wet soils. It can also grow where there is not much food in the soil. It even does well during dry periods or when animals eat it too much.
Scientists now know that these good qualities come from a special partnership. Tall fescue lives in a close relationship with a fungus called Neotyphodium coenophialum. This fungus lives inside the grass.
This partnership is a type of mutualism. This means both the grass and the fungus help each other. The fungus lives inside the grass leaves and stems. It does not grow outside the plant. The fungus is passed on to new grass plants only through seeds. This means it cannot live without the grass. If seeds are stored for a year or two, the fungus inside them usually dies. Then, the new plants grown from those seeds will not have the fungus.
The partnership with the fungus helps the tall fescue grass a lot. Grass with the fungus is better at fighting off insects and other animals that try to eat it. It also handles dry weather better and resists diseases. In return, the fungus gets a home, food, and a way to spread its seeds. The fungus makes special chemicals called alkaloids. These chemicals help the grass grow stronger.
Some of these chemicals, called lolines, are very common in the grass. They help stop insects from eating the plant. Other chemicals, called ergot alkaloids, are found in smaller amounts. But they can cause problems for animals that eat too much of the grass. Another chemical, peramine, mainly helps stop insects. It does not seem to harm animals.
How Infected Tall Fescue Affects Animals
The chemicals made by the fungus in tall fescue can harm animals.
Horses
Horses are very sensitive to tall fescue that has the fungus. Pregnant female horses (broodmares) can have serious problems. They might carry their babies for too long. They could have trouble giving birth or have a thickened placenta. They might also not produce enough milk. Their foals might be born weak or even dead. To keep pregnant mares safe, it is best to move them off infected tall fescue pastures for 60–90 days before they are due to give birth. This is because problems are most common late in pregnancy.
Cattle
Cattle that eat too much infected tall fescue can also get sick. In summer, their fur might look rough, and they cannot handle heat well. They might try to stay in the shade or in water when it is hot. In winter, they can get a condition called "fescue foot." This happens when blood vessels in their feet get too narrow. It can lead to a serious infection and even cause their hooves to fall off.
Cattle might also gain less weight and produce less milk. To prevent sickness, farmers should give cattle other food. This helps to reduce how much infected tall fescue they eat.
New Types of Endophytes
Scientists are always working to create new types of tall fescue. A big goal is to make tall fescue that still has the helpful fungus inside. But this new fungus should not make the harmful chemicals that hurt livestock. These new types of fungi are called "novel endophytes" or "friendly" endophytes.
These friendly fungi still help the grass. They make it resist insects, diseases, and dry weather. They also help the grass grow for a longer time. For example, one widely used novel endophyte is called MaxQ. It is grown in a tall fescue called Georgia-Jesup. This combination makes very little of the harmful ergot alkaloids. But it still makes other helpful chemicals.
See also
In Spanish: Lolium arundinaceum para niños
