fescue, any of some 100 species of introduced Old World grasses of the genus Festuca. Meadow fescue and tall, or reed, fescue are excellent forage crops and the Chewing's, red, and sheep fescues are planted for turf. Fescue is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliopsida, order Cyperales, family Gramineae. See grass; lawn.