Slender Wheatgrass

Elymus trachycaulus ssp. Trachycaulus
Slender Wheatgrass is a cool-season, short-lived perennial bunchgrass. It is Native to much of North America, where it grows in widely varied habitats from northern Canada to Mexico, on semiarid ranges, in temperate and boreal forests, and in alpine and subarctic habitats at elevations of 4,500 to 12,000 feet. It is in fact a species of wild rye, and quite variable in appearance, but is generally coarse, with long and narrow leaves and a line of very narrow seed heads against the stem. The plant is 1 to 1 ½ feet high with a dense root system consisting of coarse and deep fibrous roots, making it moderately drought tolerant. Slender Wheatgrass needs at least 14 inches of annual precipitation but does not tolerate excessive soil moisture. It grows in somewhat dry, medium-textured soil, with tolerance to alkali conditions, high tolerance to salt and good shade tolerance. It is often used with native grass seedings because it comes up fast and provides erosion protection while warm-season grasses establish. Slender Wheatgrass is often a pioneer in grassland communities and is also a dominant understory species in early seral forests and woodlands. It is among the preferred foods of elk and bighorn sheep and provides cover for upland game birds, waterfowl, and small mammals. It is widely used for re-vegetating disturbed lands, for livestock ranges, wildlife habitat, watershed areas and ski slopes as well as transmission and pipeline corridors. It is also used for rehabilitating mine spoils and oil-drilling sites because of its high tolerance to heavy metals and hydrocarbon residues. Fall plantings yield higher rates of germination at high elevation than do Spring plantings.

Growing Height: 12 to 24"
Min Yearly Rainfall: 16"
Seeds Per Pound: 159000
Acre Rate: 15 lbs
Lbs per 1000sq feet: 2 lbs