Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus
Thick-spike wheat grass, Thick-Spike Wheat Grass
Andrey Zharkikh from Salt Lake City, USA (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus (Thick-spike wheat grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by single spikelets, awnless glumes, and narrow rolled leaves.
Thick-spike wheat grass is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, northern and southern Sierra Nevada, southwestern California, and Modoc Plateau in open sites, woodlands, and conifer forests at elevations of 500 to 2,250 meters. Flowering from June to September, this grass produces pale green to greenish-white spikelets in dense, slightly nodding seed heads 10 to 22 centimeters long. Growing with robust stems 20 to 130 centimeters tall emerging from well-developed underground rhizomes, it forms dense clumps with upright to arching foliage. Its leaf blades are narrow, 1 to 6 millimeters wide, typically rolled or slightly flat, with short ligules less than half a millimeter long. The plant produces spikelets 10 to 28 millimeters long, with stiff, slightly hairy lemmas that may have short awns up to 2 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 22 sympatric species; distinguished by single spikelets, awnless glumes, and narrow rolled leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open sites, woodland, conifer forest
Elevation: 500-2250 m
Outside California: to Alaska, Rocky Mountains
Bloom period
Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus blooms Jun-Sep.
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 lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus native to California?
Yes. Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus bloom?
Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus blooms Jun-Sep.
What plant family does Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus belong to?
Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus is in the Poaceae family, genus Elymus.
What habitat does Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus grow in?
Elymus lanceolatus subsp. lanceolatus grows in Open sites, woodland, conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.