Intermediate Wheatgrass Identification
Intermediate wheatgrass, known scientifically as Thinopyrum intermedium is a grass species introduced to the United States as a pasture grass. It is grown from the northern Great Plains south into northern New Mexico and Arizona and west to central Washington. Does this Spark an idea?
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Description
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Intermediate wheatgrass grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Although it is not true for all varieties of the species, the smooth intermediate wheatgrass has vegetative structures that are mostly smooth but may have ciliate hairs on leaf margins. Leaves are 4 to 8mm wide and green to blue-green in color. The glumes are usually five-nerved and there are typically less than seven florets.
Growth Habits
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Intermediate wheatgrass is a long-lived cool-season grass that features short rhizomes and a deep feeding root system. The smooth form of intermediate wheatgrass prefers well-drained, loamy to clay soils while the pubescent, or hair, form performs best on loamy to sandy soils and can tolerate lower fertility.
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Alternate Names
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Intermediate wheatgrass and pubescent wheatgrass were previously considered two separate species but are now considered the same species. Scientific names for the species include Agropyron intermedium, Elytrigia intermedia and Agropyron trichophorum. One of the pubescent varieties is Thinopyrum intermedium ssp. barbulatum.
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