Sandberg bluegrass

Form:               Bunch grass, in small tufts usually 6 inches across

Height:              Up to 1 foot

Seedhead:        Slight purplish tinge and up to four inches long

Seeds:              Produces from seeds and tillers (shoots); produces significant amounts of seed in most years

Stems:              Slender stems with many small seedheads on short upright branches

Leaves:             Leaves smooth, deep blue-green, and folded with keel-shaped tips typical of bluegrasses

Roots:              Strong fibrous root system; shallow-rooted

Ecology:           Common and widespread native grass. One of the first plants to start growth in early spring. Adapted to wide variety of soils. Inhabits thinner, drier soils than bluebunch wheatgrass, often growing on lithosols. Relatively short lived. Leaves wither and go dormant in dry conditions. Because it is shallow-rooted, it must complete growth and seed production early before available soil moisture has been depleted.

Fire tolerance:   Generally unharmed by fire

Uses:                Seeds used for food by the Native Americans