Tufted hairgrass is a perennial bunchgrass found in the moun- 

 tains in all of the Western States and is one of the most widely dis- 

 tributed of the western range grasses. It occurs chiefly in the 

 spruce-fir belt and above timberline. In well-watered parks and 

 meadows it often grows in nearly pure stands which, on the more 

 favorable sites, form a nearly complete ground cover. On drier, 

 less favorable sites it commonly grows in rather open stands in mix- 

 ture with sedges, trisetum, false-strawberry (Sibbaldia procumbens) , 

 and other plants. It distinctly prefers the open and practically 

 never is found in dense shade, although it is common in partial 

 shade among willows and in open timber. 



Tufted hairgrass belongs to the oat tribe (Aveneae) of grasses, 

 and its individual flower clusters (spikelets), although very much 

 smaller, resemble those of cultivated oat. It grows in compact 

 bunches with the stems usually erect, 2 to 4 feet high. The leaves, 

 growing mostly from near the base of the plant, are bright green 

 and either flat, folded, or sometimes inrolled. The foliage is abun- 

 dant and varies in texture from rather fine to moderately coarse, 

 depending chiefly on site conditions. 



This grass withstands fairly close grazing and is usually relished by 

 all classes of livestock. Sometimes under the most favorable con- 

 ditions it grows so luxuriantly that sheep especially and, to some 

 extent, cattle and horses will graze it only slightly. It is some- 

 times cut for hay. The flowering period extends from July to 

 September and a large amount of good seed is produced and dis- 

 seminated during August and September. New plants are estab- 

 lished entirely from seed, and sufficient seed should be permitted to 

 mature to provide the necessary replacements, although tufted 

 hairgrass plants stool out very well. 



About five species of hairgrass are recognized by the more con- 

 servative botanists as occurring in the western United States; of 

 these, tufted hairgrass is the most common and widespread. Dorsal 

 awns and glumes longer than the lemmas, shown in the illustration, 

 are characteristic of the oat tribe. The awns are very fine and hair- 

 like, attached near the base of and slightly longer than the lemmas, 

 which have broad, toothed (erose) tips. Spikelets are two-flowered, 

 small, shining, and often purplish; in D. caespitosa they are borne 

 near the ends of the slender, rough panicle branches, which are 

 usually more or less spreading. 



