Plants densely to loosely cespitose, without rhizomes. Culms 60–120(150) cm, glabrous, smooth. Sheaths closed for about 3/4 their length, slowly shredding into fibers; collars glabrous; ligules 0.1–0.3 mm; blades varying within a plant, blades of the vegetative shoots to 60 cm long, (0.2)0.3–0.6 mm in diameter, conduplicate, veins 3–5(7), ribs 1(3), abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous, cauline blades to 25 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, flat; abaxial sclerenchyma of the vegetative shoot blades in 3–5 small strands less than twice as wide as high, of the upper cauline blades in 7–11 small strands; adaxial sclerenchyma absent. Inflorescences 6–18 cm, open or contracted, somewhat secund, with 1–2 branches per node; branches more or less erect, scabrous, lower branches with 2+ spikelets. Spikelets 7–14 mm, with (2)3–6(9) florets. Glumesexceeded by the upper florets; ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, mostly smooth or scabrous on the upper midvein; lower glumes 3–5.5 mm; upper glumes 4–6.5(7) mm; lemmas (4.7)5–8.5 mm, lanceolate, mostly smooth, sometimes scabrous near the apices, awns 1.5–6 mm; paleas as long as the lemmas, intercostal region smooth or scabrous distally; anthers 2.5–4.5 mm; ovary apices pubescent. 2n = 28.
Festuca heterophylla is native to open forests and forest edges in Europe and western Asia. In the Flora region, it used to be planted as a turf grass for shady areas, and sometimes persists in old lawns.