Native Grasses

Prairie Sandreed

• Soil: Light Sandy Plains
• Season: Warm
• Description: Tall with stout rhizomatous roots, sod-forming, drought resistant

Switch grass Light

• Soil: Alkaline, sandy to loam
• Season: Warm
• Description: Tall with strong rhizomatous roots.  Large amounts of early forage.  Becomes tough when mature.

Sand Bluestem

• Soil:Light/Sandy
• Season: Warm
• Description: Tall with creeping rhizomes.  Differs from Big Bluestem in its roots, and in dense white hairs on the seed heads.  Golden yellow to reddish brown.

Yellow Indian Grass

• Soil: Light Medium
• Season: Warm
• Description: Tall with short Rhizomatous. Sod forming, tolerates moist and dry conditions.

Little Bluestem

• Soil: Sandy Plains Site, loamy soils
• Season: Warm
• Description: Mid height, bunch grass.  Palatable when young.  Decreases rapidly with overgrazing.  A purple-red color when mature.

Big Bluestem

• Soil: Medium Sandy Plains Site
• Season: Warm
• Description: Tall, bunch grass.  A top prairie grass in terms of quality and quantity of forage.  Purple-red color when mature.  heavy grazing reduces stand.

Blue Grama

• Soil: Alt Loamy to Clay Plains
• Season: Warm
• Description: Short bunch grass.  Most widespread of all popular grasses.  Holds up well to grazing.  Native good for low water use lawn or yard area. State Grass of Colorado.

Side Oats Grama

• Soil: Alt Loamy to Clay Plains
• Season: Warm
• Description: Mid to tall, bunch grass.  Large amount of forage per foot.

Western Wheatgrass

• Soil: Alt Loam to Clay Plains Site
• Season: Cool
• Description: Mid-grass with long rhizomes.  Nutritious even after maturity wit highly palatable seed heads.  drought-resistant grass.

Green Needle grass

• Soil: Med/Heavy
• Season: Cool
• Description: Has booth female and male flowers. Very palatable

Buffalo Grass

• Soil: Heavy/Med
• Season: Warm
• Description: Good for Low water use or yard area.

Introduced Species

Pubescent Wheatgrass (Luna)

• Soil: Med. Heavy
• Season: Cool
• Description: Tall rhizomatous. Sod forming, very drought resistant and persistent. Introduced. Not to be seeded with natives.

Intermediate Wheatgrass

• Soil: Medium
• Season: Cool
• Description: Tall, rhizomatous. Similar to Pubescent Wheatgrass but not as drought-tolerant.  Introduced.  Not to be seeded with natives.

Tall Wheatgrass

• Soil: Heavy
• Season: Warm
• Description: Tall, bunch grass.  Stem-like foliage and coarse but very palatable.  Performs best under irrigation.

Smooth Brome

• Soil: Light/Med, sandy to loam to heavy loam
• Season: Cool
• Description: Needs some moisture.  Introduced from Europe.  Not to be seeded with natives.

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