Elymus glaucus subsp. virescens

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Blue wildrye is a California native perennial grass found in northern coastal, northern coastal ranges, and central western regions in conifer forest, chaparral, and along riverbanks at elevations up to 2,800 meters. Flowering from June to August, this grass produces pale green to bluish-green spikelets with delicate, sparse awns. Growing in dense clumps 30 to 100 centimeters tall with upright to slightly arching stems, it forms robust and adaptable clusters in varied landscapes. Its leaf blades are nearly smooth to slightly rough, typically 5 to 15 millimeters wide, with a distinctive bluish-green to grayish-green coloration. The grass produces slender, relatively short awns measuring 0 to 5 millimeters long, contributing to its delicate, graceful appearance.

Habitat: Conifer forest, chaparral, rocky soils, riverbanks

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 2800 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, CW

California counties: Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, Humboldt, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Del Norte, San Mateo, Yolo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.