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Arizona
Range Grasses Back to the Table of Contents
Growth habit: A bunchgrass with a large number
of densely clustered stems The wiry seed stalks on mature plants are
usually 2 to 3 feet tall.
Occurrence One of the principal grasses in the evergreen forests
of the state at elevations of 7,000 to 10,000 feet. It is most abundant
in the north-central and northern counties, occurring rather sparingly
southward. Forage Value This is one of the better forage grasses of northern Arizona. Only moderately palatable, it is not taken as readily as blue grama or Junegrass. It is a larger grass than either of these, and produces a large amount of herbage. The fact that the plants are at least partly green during spring, summer and fall adds to their value and palatability.
Arizona fescue stands up well under moderate grazing, but tends to decline under close grazing much more quickly than blue grama with which it is sometimes associated. Because of this inability to produce well under heavy use, it should not be heavily grazed year after year during the summer growing season.
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Cooperative
Extension,College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of
Arizona