Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Eriocoma cuspidata, Oryzopsis hymenoides, Stipa hymenoides
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Open, dry sandy plains and hills, often in juniper woodlands. Grows in dry well drained soils. Good colonizer in sandy soils.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
6500
General Description
A leafy perennial bunchgrass 1 to 2 feet tall. Sage-green, wiry foliage and ivory-colored diffuse and branching seedheads give the grass an overall light, airy appearance.
Densely tufted perennial. Fringe of hairs at the blade collar. Blades tightly inrolled. Seedhead diffuse, with dichotomous branching that diverges widely. Spikelets one-flowered on stems. Glumes 5 to 8 mm, lemmas hairy, awns 3 to 6 mm.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
12 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
August
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
Yes
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedheads are very open and widely spreading, branches terminally split into 2 branches. Seed is plump, dark-colored and rice-like. Awns are stout, <1/4 inch long. Lemmas have long white hairs that turn black when mature.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
Yes
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Blades are firm, narrow, rolled longitudinally, <1/16 inch in diameter and 2 to 12 inches long. Bottom surfaces are smooth or roughened with stout projections; top surfaces are clothed with soft hairs or down.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
Yes
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Very good. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to livestock and wildlife.