Allergen of the Month—Meadow Fescue

Abstract

The genus Festuca possesses around 450 species, with many of the more commercially important being introduced to the United States. 1 Judd W.S. Campbell C.S. Kellogg E.A. Stevens P.F. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sinauer Associates:, Sunderland, MA1999: 210-216 Google Scholar , 2 Hitchcock A.S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. 2nd Ed. Dover Publications Inc, New York1971: 57-76 Google Scholar Fescue grasses can be divided into annuals (subgenus Vulpia) and perennials (subgenus Eufestuca), the latter being valuable forage grasses. Meadow fescue, Festuca elatior (syn. F. pratensis) is a Eurasian grass initially introduced as a valuable forage grass in the United States and southern Canada but is presently much less planted. [3] Barkworth M.E. Anderton L.K. Capels K.M. et al. Manual of Grasses for North America. Utah State University Press, Logan, UT2007: 90-104 Google Scholar It is naturalized in meadows, roadsides, and waste places. F. elatior ranges from Alaska to Nova Scotia, all of the United States, with the exception of Arizona and much of Florida, and is found throughout Europe. 2 Hitchcock A.S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. 2nd Ed. Dover Publications Inc, New York1971: 57-76 Google Scholar , 4 Lewis W.H. Vinay P. Zenger V.E. Airborne and Allergenic Pollen of North America. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore1983: 105-121 Google Scholar , 5 Polunin O. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, London1969: 538 Google Scholar