Ryegrasses are members of the grass family. The ryegrasses native to the Yuba-Sutter area are all perennial members of the genera Elymus and Leymus.
Bottlebrush Squirreltail
Bottlebrush squirreltail is a one-and-a-half-foot-tall by one-and-a-half-foot-wide, drought-deciduous ryegrass that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 13,100 feet. It is most often found in dry, open areas in central oak woodland, valley grassland, and yellow pine forest. It tolerates clay but not shade.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Blue Wildrye
Blue wildrye is a three- to four-foot-tall, drought-deciduous ryegrass that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 8,200 feet. It is found in central oak woodland, valley grassland, and yellow pine forest. It tolerates sand, clay, and full shade.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Big Squirreltail
Big squirreltail is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 10,000 feet. It is found in central oak woodland, valley grassland, and yellow pine forest.
You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
California Wheatgrass
California wheatgrass (also called Parish wildrye) is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations below 5,000 feet. It is most often found on slopes in yellow pine forest.
You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Great Basin Wildrye
Great Basin wildrye (also called giant gray wild rye) is a four-foot-tall ryegrass that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 9,800 feet. It is found in riparian forest. It tolerates sand and clay but not shade.
You can read more about it at the Las Pilitas Nursery website and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Creeping Wildrye
Creeping wildrye (also called alkali rye, Valley wildrye, or beardless wildrye) is a three-foot-tall by six-foot-wide, deciduous ryegrass that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 9,800 feet. It is most often found in moist meadows in riparian forest. It tolerates clay but not shade.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
