Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Grasses, Sedges, and Allies

This guide contains grasses, sedges, and rushes that can be found in the Denver-Boulder Metro Area, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.

squirreltail ¹
Hordeum jubatum

wall barley ²
Hordeum murinum

little barley ³
Hordeum pusillum

Barley ⁴
Hordeum vulgare

Colorado wildrye ⁵
Leymus ambiguus

Great Basin Wildrye ⁶
Leymus cinereus

crested wheatgrass ⁷
Agropyron cristatum

rye ⁸
Secale cereale

Bread Wheat ⁹
Triticum aestivum

jointed goat grass ¹⁰
Aegilops cylindrica

White-grained Mountain-ricegrass ¹¹
Oryzopsis asperifolia

Needle-and-Thread ¹²
Hesperostipa comata

New Mexico Feathergrass ¹³
Hesperostipa neomexicana

mountain ricegrass ¹¹
Piptatheropsis pungens

green needlegrass ¹⁴
Nassella viridula

Indian ricegrass ¹⁵
Achnatherum hymenoides

Nelson's needlegrass ¹⁶
Achnatherum nelsonii

sleepygrass ¹⁷
Achnatherum robustum

Little Ricegrass ¹⁶
Piptatherum exiguum

Sand Ricegrass ¹⁸
Eriocoma hymenoides

common reed ¹⁹
Phragmites australis

Forked Three-awn Grass ²⁰
Aristida basiramea

purple three-awn ²¹
Aristida purpurea

Pampas Grass ²²
Cortaderia selloana

timber oatgrass ²³
Danthonia intermedia

Parry's Oatgrass ¹⁶
Danthonia parryi

Poverty oatgrass ²⁴
Danthonia spicata

prairie cordgrass ²⁵
Sporobolus michauxianus

alkali sacaton ²⁶
Sporobolus airoides

prairie dropseed ²⁷
Sporobolus heterolepis

Sand Reedgrass ²⁸
Sporobolus rigidus

Tall Dropseed ²⁹
Sporobolus compositus

foxtail prickle grass ³⁰
Sporobolus alopecuroides

sand dropseed ³¹
Sporobolus cryptandrus

stinkgrass ³²
Eragrostis cilianensis

purple love grass ²²
Eragrostis pectinacea

Sand Lovegrass ²⁹
Eragrostis trichodes

sideoats grama ³³
Bouteloua curtipendula

Buffalo Grass ²⁹
Bouteloua dactyloides

blue grama ³⁴
Bouteloua gracilis

hairy grama ³⁵
Bouteloua hirsuta

Bermuda grass ³²
Cynodon dactylon

windmill grass ²⁹
Chloris verticillata

feather finger grass ³⁶
Chloris virgata

Salt Grass ³⁷
Distichlis spicata

Tumble Grass ²⁹
Schedonnardus paniculatus

Pine Dropseed ³⁸
Blepharoneuron tricholepis

scratch grass ³⁹
Muhlenbergia asperifolia

Plains Muhlenbergia ⁴⁰
Muhlenbergia cuspidata

pull-up muhly ⁴¹
Muhlenbergia filiformis

mountain muhly ⁴²
Muhlenbergia montana

Green Muhly ⁹
Muhlenbergia racemosa

mat muhly ⁴³
Muhlenbergia richardsonis

Ring Muhly ⁴⁴
Muhlenbergia torreyi

Spike Muhly ⁹
Muhlenbergia wrightii

Slim Tridens ⁴⁵
Tridens muticus

false buffalo-grass ⁴⁵
Munroa squarrosa

Edited by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Grasses, Sedges, and Allies

squirreltail 1 Hordeum jubatum

wall barley 2 Hordeum murinum

little barley 3 Hordeum pusillum

Barley 4 Hordeum vulgare

Colorado wildrye 5 Leymus ambiguus

Great Basin Wildrye 6 Leymus cinereus

crested wheatgrass 7 Agropyron cristatum

rye 8 Secale cereale

Bread Wheat 9 Triticum aestivum

jointed goat grass 10 Aegilops cylindrica

White-grained Mountain-ricegrass 11 Oryzopsis asperifolia

Needle-and-Thread 12 Hesperostipa comata

New Mexico Feathergrass 13 Hesperostipa neomexicana

mountain ricegrass 11 Piptatheropsis pungens

green needlegrass 14 Nassella viridula

Indian ricegrass 15 Achnatherum hymenoides

Nelson's needlegrass 16 Achnatherum nelsonii

sleepygrass 17 Achnatherum robustum

Little Ricegrass 16 Piptatherum exiguum

Sand Ricegrass 18 Eriocoma hymenoides

common reed 19 Phragmites australis

Forked Three-awn Grass 20 Aristida basiramea

purple three-awn 21 Aristida purpurea

Pampas Grass 22 Cortaderia selloana

timber oatgrass 23 Danthonia intermedia

Parry's Oatgrass 16 Danthonia parryi

Poverty oatgrass 24 Danthonia spicata

prairie cordgrass 25 Sporobolus michauxianus

alkali sacaton 26 Sporobolus airoides

prairie dropseed 27 Sporobolus heterolepis

Sand Reedgrass 28 Sporobolus rigidus

Tall Dropseed 29 Sporobolus compositus

foxtail prickle grass 30 Sporobolus alopecuroides

sand dropseed 31 Sporobolus cryptandrus

stinkgrass 32 Eragrostis cilianensis

purple love grass 22 Eragrostis pectinacea

Sand Lovegrass 29 Eragrostis trichodes

sideoats grama 33 Bouteloua curtipendula

Buffalo Grass 29 Bouteloua dactyloides

blue grama 34 Bouteloua gracilis

hairy grama 35 Bouteloua hirsuta

Bermuda grass 32 Cynodon dactylon

windmill grass 29 Chloris verticillata

feather finger grass 36 Chloris virgata

Salt Grass 37 Distichlis spicata

Tumble Grass 29 Schedonnardus paniculatus

Pine Dropseed 38 Blepharoneuron tricholepis

scratch grass 39 Muhlenbergia asperifolia

Plains Muhlenbergia 40 Muhlenbergia cuspidata

pull-up muhly 41 Muhlenbergia filiformis

mountain muhly 42 Muhlenbergia montana

Green Muhly 9 Muhlenbergia racemosa

mat muhly 43 Muhlenbergia richardsonis

Ring Muhly 44 Muhlenbergia torreyi

Spike Muhly 9 Muhlenbergia wrightii

Slim Tridens 45 Tridens muticus

false buffalo-grass 45 Munroa squarrosa