Elymus glaucus

Common Names

Blue Wildrye, Common Western Wildrye

Summary

Blue wildrye is a perennial bunchgrass native to western North America from Alaska to Baja California and east to New Mexico. It forms dense to loose clumps with bluish-green, glaucous leaves and erect to decumbent culms typically 30–210 cm tall; the flowering spike is a 5–21 cm inflorescence with spikelets 8–25 mm long bearing 2–4 florets and awned lemmas.

It propagates by seed and germination is easy, with establishment taking place from spring sowing or natural reseeding; divisions are possible but reduce vigor. It prefers well-drained soils and tolerates full sun to partial shade; drought-tolerant and requires little to no summer irrigation. It is used for erosion control on slopes, meadow plantings, and restoration projects such as stream bank stabilization, and provides forage for wildlife, making it a valuable native component in habitat restoration and landscape plantings.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-4 feet

Spread

12-24 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun; tolerates partial shade.

Soil Type

Loam to clay-loam soils, well- to moderately well-drained, moist, medium-textured.

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soils.

Soil pH

6.0-7.5, Mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils.

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Summer

Foliage Color

Blue-green

Fall Foliage Color

Bluish-gray, Gray-Green, Green, Green to glaucous (bluish-green), Straw-colored, bluish-green

Leaf Lifecycle

Other

Growth Rate

Rapid

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies and other pollinators, Attracts birds