Tufted Hairgrass

Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv.
Tufted hairgrass is a short-lived, tufted, cool season, native perennial bunchgrass. Roots are shallow, fibrous, and dense. A mass of deep green leaves covers the crown. Densely tufted and with numerous stems, this native grass is found throughout British Columbia. Seed production is important for stand maintenance. It is valuable as a range grass and fairly resistant to close grazing.
Each plant has 1 to 20 straw-coloured stems that are 20 to 120 cm (8 to 47 in.) in height. The seed head is feathery in appearance. It branches several times, and forms whorls of 6 to 10 at points 2 cm (1 in.) apart. Leaves are up to 5 mm wide, flat, folded, flexuous, and sharp-pointed, sometimes swollen at each end, and without auricles.
Seed heads are loose, open, often drooping or nodding panicles 10 to 25 cm in length (4 to 10 in.). Spikelets are mostly 2 flowered.