Grass Description
Found in seasonally moist areas such as meadows. Tolerates neutral to strongly alkaline soils (pH 6.0 to 9.0), moderate shading, 7 to 60 inches of precipitation, and soils classified as strongly saline.
General Description
Large grass; strongly rhizomatous growth form; stems emerge singly or in small clusters. Blades are mostly basally concentrated.
Grows up to 4 feet tall. Strongly rhizomatous, often in large colonies. Lemmas tips acute. Bottom surfaces of the blades usually with closely spaced, prominently ribbed, subequal veins.
Flower Characteristics
The spike is narrow and 2 to 8 inches long, 2 spikelets per node at midspike, sometimes 1 or 3 at other nodes. Spikelets have 3 to 7 alternately stacked florets, each with a small awn less than 1/8 inch long.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blades are stiff, bluish green, and slightly waxy. They may be flat or rolled under along the edges, 4 to 12 inches long and up to 1/4 inch wide. Leaves stand away from the stems at an obvious angle. Upper leaf surface is rough and may be slightly hairy.
Beardless wildrye is moderately palatable to all livestock, especially in the early spring before it becomes coarse. It tolerates trampling and recovers well following grazing.