Thurber's needlegrass

Achnatherum thurberianum

Cool season, perennial bunchgrass common in semiarid regions from southern Idaho to the Columbia Basin. Can be a dominant species, though slow to establish. Good for use in disturbed mine reclamation. Excellent spring forage prior to awn development; moderate quality later in the season following seed shatter. An inherently low seed yielding species. May hybridize with A. hymenoides to form Achnatherum x bloomeri.