An erect to ascending bunchgrass growing in small tufts that usually grow about 12 inches tall and 4 inches wide. Seedstalks grow 1 to 3 feet tall. Starts growth in early spring or when moisture is available. Seeds mature in early summer. Reproduces from seeds. A Utah native, it is found at elevations between 4000 and 7500 feet on alluvial fans, sandy benches, and gravelly foothills. It occurs in the 10 to 18 inch rainfall belt. Use for meadow plantings; blends well with Indian ricegrass and sandberg bluegrass. Best suited for natural areas or urban/wildland interfaces.
Full sun. Well adapted to excessively drained, sandy or gravelly soils and also to shallow or deep sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or even clay soils that are shallow to deep, with widely varying amounts of stones and rock fragments. A cool season grass, it will go dormant in the summer without supplemental irrigation. Mow in late summer. Also listed as Stipa comata.