Elymus sierrae
Sierra wildrye
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Elymus sierrae (Sierra wildrye) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by combination of short straight glume awns and longer curved lemma awns.
Sierra wildrye is a California native perennial found in the high Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada Mountains on rocky slopes, ridges, and in conifer forest at elevations of 1,800 to 3,530 meters. Flowering from July to August, this grass produces subtle greenish-white flower spikes 4 to 15 centimeters long with distinctive curving awns. Growing in dense tufts with prostrate or decumbent stems 20 to 50 centimeters long, it forms compact clumps in alpine and subalpine environments. Its leaves are narrow, flat, and 1 to 5 millimeters wide, with very small auricles less than 1 millimeter long and a tiny ligule. The grass develops 3 to 7 florets per spikelet, with lemmas bearing distinctive 15 to 30 millimeter awns that curve strongly outward as they mature.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 17 sympatric species; distinguished by combination of short straight glume awns and longer curved lemma awns
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes, ridges, conifer forest
Elevation: 1800-3530 m
Outside California: to Washington, Nevada
Bloom period
Elymus sierrae blooms Jul-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 sierrae native to California?
Yes. Elymus sierrae is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Elymus sierrae bloom?
Elymus sierrae blooms Jul-Aug.
What plant family does Elymus sierrae belong to?
Elymus sierrae is in the Poaceae family, genus Elymus.
What habitat does Elymus sierrae grow in?
Elymus sierrae grows in Rocky slopes, ridges, conifer forest.
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.