Poaceae

Sheep fescue

Festuca ovina L.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Festuca

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Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) — FruitPhoto: Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (32)

Arabic: فستوكة غنمية, فستوكة برية, فستوكة فونتكيري, فستوكة معسكرية
Armenian: Շյուղախոտ
arz: فستوكه غنميه
Belarusian: Аўсяніца авечая
Bulgarian: Овча власатка
Chinese: 羊茅, 草稃羊茅, 酥油草
csb: Òwczô kòstrzewa
Czech: Kostřava ovčí
Danish: Fåre-Svingel
Dutch: Genaald schapengras, Ruig en Zinkschapengras
English: Sheep fescue, Sheep's fescue
Estonian: Lamba-aruhein
Finnish: Lampaannata
French: Fétuque ovin, Fétuque des moutons, Fétuque ovine
German: Echter Schaf-Schwingel, Eigentlicher Schaf-Schwingel, Eigentlicher Schwingel, Gemeiner Schwingel
hsb: Wowča dornica
Irish: Féar caorach
Japanese: ウシノケグサ
Korean: 김의털, 산거울
Latvian: Aitu auzene
Lithuanian: Avinis eraičinas
Macedonian: Овчи виук
Norwegian Bokmål: Sauesvingel
Persian: علفبره
Polish: Kostrzewa owcza
Russian: Овсяница овечья, Овечья овсяница
Slovenian: Ovčja bilnica
Spanish: Canotilla, Canuela ovina, Cañotilla, Cañuela de oveja
Swedish: Fårsvingel
Ukrainian: Костриця овеча
Walloon: Bossinete
Welsh: Peiswellt y defaid

Synonyms

Avena ovina Salisb.
Bromus ovinus (L.) Scop.
Festuca agrestis Wulfen ex Steud.
Festuca baumgarteniana Schur
Festuca capillaris Wulfen
Festuca centroapenninica (Markgr.-Dann.) Foggi, F.Conti & Pignatti
Festuca chiisanensis (Ohwi) E.B.Alexeev
Festuca cinerea var. scabrifolia (Hack.) M.Toman
Festuca diffusa V.N.Vassil.
Festuca duriuscula var. gracilior (Hack.) Bidault
Festuca eskia Lej.
Festuca filifolia Link
Festuca fontqueriana (St.-Yves) Romo
Festuca glauca var. exilior (St.-Yves) Bidault
Festuca glauca var. firmuloides (St.-Yves) Bidault
Festuca glauca var. hallerioides Schur
Festuca glauca var. scabrifolia Hack.
Festuca glaucantha Blocki
Festuca glaucoidea (J.Vetter) E.B.Alexeev
Festuca guestphalica Boenn. ex Rchb.
Festuca guinochetii (Bidault) S.Arndt
Festuca hallerioides Schur
Festuca heterophylla Wahlenb.
Festuca jumpeiana (Ohwi) Kitag.
Festuca laevis var. ruprechtii (Boiss.) B.Fedtsch.
Festuca lasiantha Schur
Festuca leucantha Schur
Festuca livida Schur
Festuca malzevii (Litv.) Reverd.
Festuca mariettana E.B.Alexeev
Festuca maskerensis (Litard.) Romo
Festuca multiflora Suter
Festuca nigra Gilib.
Festuca oligosantha Schur
Festuca ovina f. aculeolata Soó
Festuca ovina f. breviaristata Krajina
Festuca ovina f. breviculmis Krajina
Festuca ovina f. ciliolata Krajina
Festuca ovina f. communis Krajina
Festuca ovina f. exilior St.-Yves

and 129 more.

Flowers

In flower: June to August, November to January (from 82 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FruitPhoto: Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dmitriy Bochkov, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Christian Berg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Festuca

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.