Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Agropyron saxicola, Elymus saxicola, ×Agrositanion saxicola, Elymus elymoides × Pseudoroegneria spicata, Agropyron flexuosum (see USDA)
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Found in dry sandy washes and on open rocky slopes.
Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Grasslands
Interior Chaparral
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Low elevation
4000
High elevation
5500
General Description
Densely tufted perennial, a hybrid of Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus elymoides; mostly flat blades.
Perennial, forms dense tufts; blades flat or somewhat rolled inward; seedhead stems erect; glumes narrow, short awned, 2-nerved; lemmas have divergent awns up to 2 inches long.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
Yes
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Unbranched
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
August
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Greater than 1 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedhead is a spike, 2 to 4-3/4 inches tall. Spikelets have 4 to 6 florets and are layered, or overlapping, on the seedhead axis.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
Yes
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Leaf blades are 4 to 10 inches long, 3/4 to 2 inches wide and flat or rolled inward. Leaves may be smooth or slightly hairy.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Good forage before the bristly spikes mature and after they have fallen off.