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Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides)
Height:
8-30”
Flowering Period:
May-July
Light Requirement:
Full Sun
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant
Bunchgrass with numerous leaves and attractive seed heads. Prefers sandy soils. Reproduces by seed. Forage for birds. Good stabilizer for soils susceptible to wind erosion.
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Thurber’s needle grass (Achnatherum thurberianum)
Height:
12-24”
Flowering Period:
May-June
Light Requirement:
Full Sun
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant
Perennial bunchgrass with purplish inflorescences, 3 to 4 inches long. Effective in reducing wind and water erosion on sandy or loamy soils.
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Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
Height:
8-48”
Flowering Period:
June-August
Light Requirement:
Full Sun / Partial Shade
Moisture Requirement:
Moderate Moisture / Wet
Perennial, cool season, tufted bunchgrass. Inflorescence 4 to 12-iches long. Good for reclaiming disturbed soils at high elevation.
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Bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides)
Height:
4-25”
Flowering Period:
May – August
Light Requirement:
Full Sun
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant
Cool-season, perennial bunchgrass. Inflorescence 1 ti 7 inches long. Easily established in open or disturbed sites. Competitive with weedy grasses such as cheatgrass.
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Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis)
Height:
1-3’
Flowering Period:
May-July
Light Requirement:
Full Sun / Partial Shade
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant / Moderate Moisture
Cool-season, perennial bunchgrass with fine, narrow leaves, blue to green in color.
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Needle and thread grass (Hesperostipa comata)
Height:
1-4’
Flowering Period:
June
Light Requirement:
Full Sun
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant
Cool-season, perennial bunchgrass with interesting 4 to 5-inch twisted awn that stems from the inflorescence.
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Prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha)
Height:
6-24”
Flowering Period:
April – June
Light Requirement:
Full Sun
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant
Perennial, cool season, tufted bunchgrass. Several seed heads arise from basal cluster of narrow leaves. Green to purplish inflorescence.
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Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus)
Height:
3-6’
Flowering Period:
Early to mid-summer
Light Requirement:
Full Sun / Partial Shade
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant / Moderate Moisture
Large, robust, cool season, perennial bunchgrass that is long-lived. Diameter 2 to 4 feet wide. Provides good cover for birds and wildlife. Good soil stabilizer.
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Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda)
Height:
8-16”
Flowering Period:
June
Light Requirement:
Full Sun / Partial Shade
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant / Moderate Moisture
Cool-season, short-lived, perennial bunchgrass with smooth deep blue green leaves, 8 to 16-inches long. Grows in either small tufts or large tussocks. Early spring growth provides cover for nesting upland game birds.
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Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata)
Height:
1.5-4’
Flowering Period:
June
Light Requirement:
Full Sun / Partial Shade
Moisture Requirement:
Drought Tolerant
Long-lived, cool season bunchgrass with extensive root system. Leaves green to blue color. Seed spikes, 3 to 8 inches long. Provides cover for nesting upland birds. Good soil stabilizer.
