Timber oatgrass, the most common and widespread of the western 

 species of Danthonia, is a shallow-rooted perennial ranging from 

 Quebec to British Columbia, California, and New Mexico. It usu- 

 ally grows in well-defined tufts, but under certain conditions the 

 plants spread over small areas, so that the bunch habit of growth 

 is obscured. Timber oatgrass is typically a mountain species occur- 

 ring chiefly in the spruce and alpine belts, but often extending down- 

 ward to the ponderosa pine and oakbrush types. At the higher 

 altitudes it occurs mostly in the open, in moist parks and meadows, 

 but toward the lower limits of its altitudinal range is more common 

 in the shade of open coniferous timber and under aspen and oak. 

 It normally occurs scatteringly but occasionally is locally abundant. 



Timber oatgrass is regarded as good to very good forage for all 

 classes of livestock in Montana, parts of Utah, and the Northwest. 

 It is also well regarded for spring forage in most other parts of 

 its range probably because it greens up before many other plants 

 begin growth. In some localities timber oatgrass is little grazed 

 and probably should rate, at best, only as fair forage. It apparently 

 withstands grazing very well, often being the dominant grass on 

 badly depleted ranges. However, this may not denote ability to 

 withstand grazing, but may indicate that timber oatgrass has a 

 relatively low palatability and actually is not grazed to the same 

 degree as associated species of reputedly comparable palatability. 



Plants of timber oatgrass stool well and usually produce an 

 abundance of basal leaves. The stems are comparatively low, with 

 a few short upper leaves and compact, one-sided heads (panicles) 

 of about 5 to 10 spikelets. The young heads have a distinct purplish 

 tinge, due to the purple color of the large glumes. With age, how- 

 ever, the purple color disappears and the glumes become brown and 

 papery. Flowering occurs during July and August. The small seed 

 crop is disseminated during August and September. This species, 

 like the other western oatgrasses, produces large self -fertilizing 

 spikelets (cleistogenes) hidden at the lower stem joints. These 

 spikelets, which mature seed, are enclosed by the leaf sheaths, and 

 the stems break off commonly at the joints where the spikelets are 

 borne. 



