Seaside Arrowgrass vs Rough Fescue - TreeTime.ca

Seaside Arrowgrass vs Rough Fescue

Triglochin maritima

Festuca campestris

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Seaside Arrowgrass
Rough Fescue

Seaside Arrowgrass is a native perennial commonly found in wetlands, salt marshes, and moist meadows. It is especially suitable for difficult growing sites. Its dense root system helps stabilize soil, while also providing food, cover, and habitat for small animals within the wetland community.

Seaside Arrowgrass is suitable for shoreline stabilization, wetland restoration, and naturalization projects.

Rough Fescue is a native perennial bunchgrass valued for its tall, dense clumps and long-lived growth. Adapted to cold climates and nutrient-poor soils, it is a defining species of northern prairie and montane grasslands. In western Canada and the northern Rocky Mountains, Rough Fescue is considered a keystone species because it shapes plant communities, stabilizes soils, and supports ecosystem resilience.

It is a cool-season grass, growing most actively in spring and fall and slowing during the heat of summer. Rough Fescue is highly regarded as forage for wildlife and livestock, with elk, deer, and other grazing animals favoring it. Taller than many other fescue species, it is well-suited to prairie restoration, erosion control, and naturalization projects where it supports both biodiversity and long-term ecosystem health.

Seaside Arrowgrass Quick Facts

Rough Fescue Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes-low, seeds-low
Spreading: seeds - medium

Toxicity: can be toxic to humans and livestock

Flowers: very small, pinkish-white, hair like
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: common arrowgrass, common bog arrowgrass, shore arrowgrass
Other Names: mountain rough fescue, prairie fescue