Grass Description
Dry meadows and openings of montane conifer forests, prefers gravelly rocky soil.
General Description
Bluish-green fine leaved tufted grass up to 1 foot diameter and 1 foot high, seedheads extend up to 3 feet. Green growth is present in spring, summer, and fall. Plant greens up in the spring and flowers late spring to August.
Densely tufted, clumping bunchgrass. Stems 1 to 3 feet tall, clustered, greenish yellow to blue-green. Leaf blades are mostly basal, string-like, and rough to the touch. Florets with less than 1/16 inch awns or no awns.
Flower Characteristics
Narrow with 1 or 2 spreading branches at the base. Seedhead branches are rough. Spikelets 4 to 6 flowered, awnless or with very short awns. Glumes unequal with hairy margins.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blades 10 to 20 inches long, less than 1/8 inch wide, thread-like, stiff, bluish and ascending.
Good, highly palatable when the seedheads and blades are green, furnishes considerable forage in some areas. It does not maintain itself well, however, under heavy grazing or grazing during the dormant period.