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Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Koeleria macrantha

COMMON NAME

Junegrass

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Koeleria macrantha

ALSO KNOWN AS

prairie junegrass

Plant family

Grass (Poaceae)

Plant group

Grasses

Junegrass is a perennial bunchgrass native to much of North America and introduced in Hawaii.
31 reports
17+
OBSERVERS
31+
OBSERVATIONS
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Identification hints

Junegrass gets its name because it is often easy to spot in June. This small native bunchgrass with has distinctive clusters of dense flower spikes that turn tan when dry.
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Did you know?

Junegrass is a circumboreal species with a wide native distribution. It provides valuable nesting habitat and and structure for native bees, provides forage for grazers, and is somewhat fire-resistant.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Alaska , Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , California , Colorado , Delaware , Hawaii , Iowa , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maryland , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Mississippi , Montana , North Dakota , Nebraska , New Mexico , Nevada , New York , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania , South Dakota , Texas , Utah , Vermont , Washington , Wisconsin , Wyoming
HABITAT
Junegrass prefers dry, sandy prairies, open woodlands, rocky slopes, savannas, and dunes. Although preferring well-drained soils and a sunny environment, junegrass does require a lot of water to thrive.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
The leaves of junegrass look like grass! Leaves are up to 8 inches long and typically less than 4 mm wide. The leaves are clustered in loose to dense tufts from the base of the plant.
Flowers
The flowers of junegrass are typical of grasses and are arranged in clusters at the terminal ends of stems. The clusters are narrow and branched, up to 6 inches long. Each branch of the cluster is up to 1 inch long and contains clusters of flowers called spikelets that each contain two tiny flowers.
Fruits
The flower cluster becomes more upright and stiff when mature and also turns a pale tan color. The seeds of junegrass are 2.5 to 3mm long.
Bloom Time
Junegrass blooms between April and June and is a cool-season grass so goes dormant in late summer.

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