Scientific Name
Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.
Common Name(s)
Crested wheatgrass
Tribe / Family Name
Triticeae
Flowering Period
June to August
Symbol
AGCR
Description
Crested wheatgrass is an introduced cool-season perennial bunchgrass that reproduces from seeds and tillers. Culms range from 25–110 cm in height. Its inflorescence is a dense spike 2–9 cm long, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, rectangular, or ovate, and not shattering at maturity. Spikelets are 7–16 mm long, closely imbricate, diverging at angles of more than 40 degrees along the rachis, 1 per rachis node, 3- to 6(8)-flowered, and awned (the glume awns often extending up to 3 mm long; the lemma tips acute or usually with awns 1-6 mm long and not divergent) Auricles are small (1 mm long) and slender. Ligules are up to 1.5 mm long, membranous, obtuse to truncate, erose-ciliolate, and glabrous.
General Info
This long-lived and drought-tolerant species can be found in open, dry areas, along roadsides, in reclaimed or other disturbed sites, sagebrush steppe, grasslands, foothills, plains, and montane sites.
Similar Species
Crested wheatgrass may look similar to other tufted wheatgrass and wildrye species. Remember to look at its seed heads, which have a comb-like or braid-like appearance with spikelets that are closely overlapping along the rachis at angles of more than 40 degrees. Also, annual wheatgrass (Eremopyrum triticeum) looks similar to crested wheatgrass, but is a short annual bunchgrass with smaller seed heads. Remember, wheatgrasses have one spikelet per rachis node, and wildryes have two or more spikelets per rachis node. Other wheatgrass cultivars are common in seed mixes, i.e., Siberian wheatgrass (Agropyron fragile), desert wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum).
Picture of growth habit.
Close-up picture of spike inflorescence.
Close-up picture of spikelet.
Close-up picture membranous ligule and auricle.
Illustration of crested wheatgrass. Glen Cole, 2017.