United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Montana Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content





Table of Grasses for Ground Cover and Lawns

Cool-Season Native Grasses for Ground Cover and Lawns
Species Cultivars Life Form Prefers Sandy Soil Prefers Loamy Soil Prefers Clayey Soil Lawns: Pounds PLS per 1000 sq. ft.1 Prairie Planting: Pounds PLS per acre2 Drought Tolerance 3 Trampling Resistance 3 Mowing Tolerance 3 Remarks
western wheatgrass
(Pascopyrum smithii)		 Rosana, Rodan rhizomatous no yes yes 4 8 Moderate Good Good forms open sod, bluish in color
thickspike wheatgrass
(Elymus lanceolatus)		 Critana, Bannock, Schwendimar rhizomatous yes yes yes 3.5 6 Good Fair Fair finer leaved than western wheatgrass, good seedling vigor
streambank wheatgrass
(Elymus lanceolatus)		 Sodar rhizomatous yes yes yes 3.5 6 Good Fair Fair similar to thickspike, good seedling vigor
green needlegrass
(Nassella viridula)		 Lodorm bunchgrass no yes yes 3 5 Moderate Fair Fair best in a mix with other cool-season grasses

Cool-Season Introduced Grasses for Ground Cover and Lawns
Species Cultivars Life Form Prefers Sandy Soil Prefers Loamy Soil Prefers Clayey Soil Lawns: Pounds PLS per 1000 sq. ft.1 Prairie Planting: Pounds PLS per acre2 Drought Tolerance3 Trampling Resistance3 Mowing Tolerance3 Remarks
crested wheatgrass
(Agropyron cristatum)		 Ephraim, Roadcrest rhizomatous yes yes yes 3 7 Excellent Good Good good drought resistance
sheep fescue
(Festuca ovina)		 Covar, Bighorn bunchgrass yes yes no 1 2 Good Fair Good fine-leaved, competitive with other plants and weeds
hard fescue
(Festuca trachyphylla)		 Durar bunchgrass yes yes no 1 2 Good Fair Good fine-leaved, short stature
tall fescue
(Festuca arundinacea)		 Alta,
Fawn		 bunchgrass no yes yes 2.5 6 Moderate Good Good coarse leaves, high tolerance of trampling
Canada bluegrass
(Poa compressa)		 Reubens, Talon, Foothills rhizomatous yes yes yes 1 1 Moderate Good Good will form sod, but not as tight as Kentucky bluegrass
Russian wildrye
(Psathyrostachys juncea)		 Bozoisky-Select, Mankota bunchgrass yes yes yes 3 7 Excellent Good Fair excellent drought resistance

Warm-Season Native Grasses for Ground Cover and Lawns
Species Cultivars Life Form Prefers Sandy Soil Prefers Loamy Soil Prefers Clayey Soil Lawns: Pounds PLS per 1000 sq. ft.1 Prairie Planting: Pounds PLS per acre2 Drought Tolerance3 Trampling Resistance3 Mowing Tolerance3 Remarks
blue grama
(Bouteloua gracilis)		 Bad River, Willis, Alma bunchgrass yes yes yes 1 2 Excellent Excellent Good short stature, infrequent mowing, late green-up
buffalograss
(Buchloe dactyloides)		 Bismarck, Topgun, Plains stoloniferous no yes yes 9 15 Good Excellent Good short stature, infrequent mowing, late green-up bestt results with plugs
sideoats grama
(Bouteloua curtipendula)		 Killdeer, Pierre bunchgrass yes yes yes 3 5 Moderate Fair Poor tallest of grama grasses

1 Seeding rates are for pure stands. Seeding rates for sod are figured at approximately 500 PLS seeds per square foot.;
2 Seeding rates are for pure stands. Seeding rates for a prairie grass stand are figured at approximately 25 PLS seeds per square foot;
3 Rating scale: Excellent - Good - Moderate - Fair - Poor

< Back to Grasses for Ground Cover and Lawns