Description

Pseudoroegneria spicata ssp. spicata, Bluebunch Wheatgrass
(old nomenclature: Agropyron spicatum) (Native)

Medium height, 1½ – 4 ft. tall, long-lived, drought-tolerant, cool-season variable bunchgrass. Adapted to a wide range of soils, fine to coarse textured, shallow to deep, including gravelly and rocky, from low to high elevations. Very palatable but cannot withstand continuous grazing. Very valuable native grass for watershed, range, disturbed land restoration and wildlife habitat improvement. Minimum precip. is 8 – 10 inches. Plant fall or spring ¼ – ½ inches deep. 139,000 seeds/lb.

Named Releases: ‘Goldar’ (Cultivar) Released by the ID/UT AES & ARS and the Aberdeen, ID PMC in 1989. Selected for good cold-tolerance, good vigor and yield to be used in revegetation of adapted sites in the west.

‘P-7’ (Select Class) Released in 2001 by the Logan, UT ARS and AES. Derived from 23 native populations of bluebunch wheatgrass from ID/ NV/ OR/ UT/ WA/ BC and Whitmar and Goldar cultivars. Intended to provide genetic diversity and broad range of adaptation within a single germplasm for semi-arid to mesic sites for revegetation of adapted sites.

‘Anatone’ (Select Class Germplasm) Released in 2004 from the Aberdeen, ID PMC. Selected from a source near Anatone, WA. Intended use is for valley and foothill rangelands for re-establishment of native plant communities.

USDA: Plant Profile | Plant Guide