Xerophyllum tenax - Beargrass

Description

Bear-Grass or Indian Basket-Grass grows on dry open slopes, ridges and in montane coniferous forests. Its range extends from the Klamath and Cascade ranges into British Columbia, to the central coast, and into the Sierra Nevadas and east to Montana and Wyoming. In flower (May-August) it reaches to more than 4'. The form is like a large fountain, a dense plume with hundreds of tiny cream-colored flowers. Its fibrous roots penetrate the soil deeply.