Elymus hispidus
Intermediate wheatgrass
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Elymus hispidus (Intermediate wheatgrass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by single spikelets per node, awnless lemmas, and weakly ribbed leaves.
Intermediate wheatgrass is a naturalized perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California coastal ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, western Transverse Ranges, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, Modoc Plateau, and desert mountains in open areas and on slopes at elevations below 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this grass produces pale green to green spikelets 11 to 18 millimeters long with erect or nodding flower clusters. Growing with rhizomatous stems 50 to 115 centimeters tall, the plant can be glabrous or slightly hairy with multiple stems. Its leaves have wide blades 2 to 8 millimeters across with prominent veins and small auricles less than 2 millimeters long. The spikelets contain 3 to 10 florets with lemmas 7.5 to 10 millimeters long, typically without awns.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 22 sympatric species; key features are single spikelets per node, awnless lemmas, and weakly ribbed leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open areas, slopes
Elevation: < 2500 m
California counties: Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Mono, Alpine, Fresno, Plumas, Butte, Alameda, Siskiyou, Humboldt, San Diego, Trinity, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tehama, Santa Clara
Outside California: to British Columbia, Great Plains, scattered in eastern United States, native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Elymus hispidus blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Hordeum: Elymus has rounded glume backs; Hordeum has all glumes narrow and bristle-like.; vs Leymus: Elymus has 2-8 spikelets per node; Leymus has just 1-2 spikelets per node.; vs Taeniatherum: Elymus is perennial with robust growth; Taeniatherum is a weedy annual with very long awns.; vs Lolium: Elymus shows multiple spikelets per node; Lolium has single spikelets edgewise to the stem.; vs Thinopyrum: Elymus has prominent auricles; Thinopyrum typically lacks auricles or has very small ones.
Frequently asked questions
Is Elymus hispidus native to California?
No. Elymus hispidus is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Elymus hispidus bloom?
Elymus hispidus blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Elymus hispidus grow?
Elymus hispidus occurs in Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Mono, Alpine, Fresno and other counties, at elevations of < 2500 m.
What plant family does Elymus hispidus belong to?
Elymus hispidus is in the Poaceae family, genus Elymus.
What habitat does Elymus hispidus grow in?
Elymus hispidus grows in Open areas, slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.