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Blue Wildrye

Elymus glaucus

Blue wildrye is a fast cool-season bunchgrass with blue-green blades and upright seed spikes, widespread in western woodlands and meadows. A quick-establishing host and cover grass. Like other wild ryes, the seed has documented use as a ground-flour grain.

Family

Poaceae

Type

grass

Lifespan

perennial

Height

3.3–3.3 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

moist, dry

Soil pH

acidic, neutral, alkaline

Bloom

June, July

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

songbirds, larval host, mammals

Landscape uses

specimen, border, naturalizing

Native states

AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, MI, MO, MT, ND, NM, NV, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY