Native Grasses of Ring Mountain
This guide includes all the native grass species known to occur at Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve.
hall's bent grass
Agrostis hallii is a species of grass known by the common name Hall's bentgrass. It is native to the west coast of the United States from far southern Washington to central California, where it grows in the woodlands and forests of the coastal mountain ranges. This is a rhizomatous perennial grass growing up to about a meter tall. It has flat leaves up to 20 centimeters ...more ↓
California brome
Bromus carinatus is a species of brome grass known by the common names California brome and mountain brome.
serpentine reedgrass
Calamagrostis ophitidis, serpentine reedgrass, is a species of bunch grass in the Poaceae family.
tufted hair grass
Deschampsia cespitosa, commonly known as Tufted Hair-grass or Tussock grass is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this Deschampsia grass species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts of South America, Eurasia and Australia.
annual hairgrass
Deschampsia danthonioides is a species of grass known by the common name annual hairgrass. It is native to western North America from the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, through California and the Western United States, to Baja California, and also to southern South America in Chile and Argentina.
blue wild rye
Elymus glaucus is a species of wild rye known by the common name blue wild rye. This grass is native to North America from Alaska to New York to northern Mexico. It is a common and widespread species of wild rye.
big squirreltail
Elymus multisetus is a species of wild rye known by the common name big squirreltail.
slender wheatgrass
Elymus trachycaulus is a species of wild rye known by the common name slender wheatgrass. It is native to much of North America, where it grows in widely varied habitats from northern Canada to Mexico.
beardless wild rye
Also know as "creeping wild rye", and formerly known as Leymus triticoides, this rhizomatus perennial grass can form large, homogenous stands, especially in wetter areas such as ditches, seeps, or wet pastures. Many plants are seldom seen flowering.
Meadow barley
Meadow barley tolerates wetter soil conditions than some other grass species and can be found in seeps and/or ditches, or simply in areas that stay wet a bit longer or even along trails that don't appear to have increased soil moisture compared to other areas.
California melic
Melica californica is a species of grass known by the common name California melic.
Torrey's melicgrass
Melica torreyana is a species of grass known by the common name Torrey's melicgrass.
foothill needle grass
Nassella lepida (syn. Stipa lepida) is a species of grass known by the common names foothill needlegrass,foothills nassella,foothill stipa, small-flowered stipa, small-flowered needlegrass, and smallflower tussockgrass. It is native to California in the United States, where it occurs as far north as Humboldt County, and its range ...more ↓
purple needlegrass
Nassella pulchra, basionym Stipa pulchra, is a species of grass known by the common name purple needlegrass. It is native to California, where it occurs throughout the coastal hills, valleys, and mountain ranges, as well as the Sacramento Valley and parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and Baja California.
Pine bluegrass
Poa secunda (variously known by the common names of Sandberg bluegrass,alkali bluegrass,big bluegrass,Canby's bluegrass,Nevada bluegrass,one-sided bluegrass,Pacific bluegrass,pine blugrass,slender bluegrass,wild bluegrass, and curly bluegrass.) is a widespread species of grass native to North and South ...more ↓
Festuca microstachys
Previously known as Vulpia microstachys. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Colorado and New Mexico to Baja California, where it grows in many types of open habitat, including grasslands. It is dominant on some grasslands of California, and it was probably an abundant native grass before the habitat was altered by invasive non-native grasses. It occurs in ...more ↓
California oat grass
Danthonia californica is a species of grass known by the common name California oatgrass. This plant is native to two separate regions of the Americas, western North America from California to Saskatchewan, and Chile. Vegetative portion of the plant usually stays close to the ground surface (prostrate). This grass stands out from its neighbors due to its yellow-green ...more ↓
California fescue
Festuca californica is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue. It is native to the US states of California and Oregon where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral. This fescue is a clumping bunch grass perennial without rhizomes.
idaho fescue
Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plains grasslands.
red fescue
Festuca rubra is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in cool, temperate climates; it prefers shadier areas and is often planted for its shade tolerance. Wild animals browse it, but it has not been important for ...more ↓
june grass
Koeleria macrantha is a species of grass known by the common name prairie Junegrass. In the UK it is known as crested hair-grass. It is native to much of North America, from Alaska to California, from northern Mexico to the Eastern United States. It occurs in a large number of habitat types, especially prairie.
