BLUEBUNCH WHEATGRASS

Pseudoroegneria spicata

Grass Family (Poaceae)

This regionally important bunchgrass species is an essential part of any native landscape that hopes to recreate the look and feel of sagebrush steppe or palouse prairie communities. It is a midsize bunchgrass with an erect, fountain-like growth form and fine, bright green foliage. It flowers in midsummer, forming graceful clumps of stalks that arch slightly outward. As the seeds ripen, the heads take on an interesting texture as the slender tips of the fruits dry and spread outward. Bluebunch wheatgrass is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and can grow in sun or partial shade. It will rarely need supplemental water except on the driest of sites. It is a prolific seeder, volunteers readily from seed, and is best used sparingly in informal meadow or shrub steppe settings with a mixture of many different types of plants. It combines well with shrubs like big sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, and antelope bitterbrush, as well as perennials such as Utah sweetvetch, Lewis flax, and Wasatch penstemon.