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Grass ID?

8 years ago

A friend of mine saw this bunch grass growing by a building in Albuquerque NM, she thinks its a volunteer since it was the only one. Anyone know what it is? I was guessing maybe its Wolftail? She says its blue and about the size of blue grama. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the seed heads. I think its got possibilities as a drought tolerant small landscape grass, I really like it.

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Comments (3)

wantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
Not yet on the ID. Did she grab any of the seed?
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
They have wolf tail grass seed at PoSW

Here is their spiel on it

2 ft. tall bunchgrass with a thin wolftail seed spike. Foliage like Blue Grama grass with which it grows. Rocky slopes, gravelly areas and prairies 4,000 - 8,000 ft. elevation. A good looking, valuable range grass.

Can you get your friend to get a closer shot of the spikelets and see if they match these photos. The bunch seems a lot thinner but that could be because of age, sun, water and fertility of the soil. PoSW description of 2" gives me a pause.

Wolf tail spikelet
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It might just be Tall Fescue, and it looks larger than your Turf Type Tall Fescue. Turf Type Tall Fescue is the same species, it’s just been “bred” for certain characteristics. Genetically speaking, it seems like it would be probable for some of the TTTF plants to express TF qualities. Think about random redheads.
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Babs, thank you. It was planted near the curb on the high side of the rain garden, so it was in the driest area. That being said, I did a quick search and little bluestem is listed on some rain garden plant lists. I'm disappointed that the other grass may be non-native :(
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Looks vaguely familiar, but it's hard to say what it is. Can you post a photo of the full plant growing, and in what location?
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It looks like you may have the same two annual grasses that get in my lawn this time of year. I am not positive of the ID, but one is very low growing with little white seed heads that I'm pretty sure is Poa annua 'annual blue grass'. The other I think may be annual ryegrass. After they sprout the only way I know to kill them is pulling them. Sometimes I have to use a digging fork to loosen the roots. The most important thing is to get them out before they produce seed from which next year's crop will sprout. You may be able to prevent them next year by applying pre-emergent granules in the fall at the proper time for your locality. Yes, it's work, but getting them out becomes a rather pleasant obsession making the efforts a little easier. I wish you well.
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wantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Ooh , ooh, oooh, I think I might have got a possibility. This is a neat site anyway. LOTS of grasses. My thought is Setaria leucopila AKA Streamed Bristlegrass or plans bristlegrass.

Streambed Bristlegrass

Great list of grasses for the arid lands. I need to peruse further. Txranger, You are probably already familiar with this . I just found it. It is getting bookmarked. They have Forbes and woody plants pages too.

Grass list

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