Tall fescue characteristics include which feature of mature leaf blades?

• A. Approximately 1/2 inch wide.
• B. Approximately 2 inches wide.
• C. Less than 1/16 inch wide.
• D. More than 1 inch wide.

Answer: (A)

Leaf blade width is a practical trait used to identify tall fescue. Tall fescue has relatively broad leaf blades compared with other cool-season lawn grasses, giving it a coarser texture. In mature turf, the blades are about a half inch wide, which helps distinguish it from finer grasses whose blades are much narrower. The other widths listed would not match how tall fescue looks in the landscape; blades around two inches or more would be unusually wide for turf, and blades less than a sixteenth of an inch are far too narrow. So, roughly a 1/2 inch width best describes the mature leaf blades of tall fescue.