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Summary
Duration	Annual
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FAC, FACW
Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Porous
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Bunch
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	1.5
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Short
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None
Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	Low
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	Medium
Fertility Requirement	Low
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	145
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	5.8
pH, Maximum	7.2
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum
Precipitation, Minimum	12
Precipitation, Maximum	30
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	6
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Intermediate
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	52
Reproduction
Bloom Period	Mid Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Spring
Fruit/Seed Period End	Summer
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	1000000
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	High
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None
Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	Yes
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons

Subclass  Commelinidae

Order  Cyperales

Family  Poaceae -- Grass family

Genus  Deschampsia Beauv. -- hairgrass P

Species  Deschampsia danthonioides (Trin.) Munro -- annual hairgrass P

 

Alternate Names

Other scientific names include Aira danthonioides Trin., Deschampsia calycina J. Presl, and Deschampsia danthonioides (Trin.) Munro var. gracilis (Vasey) Munz

 

Uses

Annual hairgrass is useful for wetland restoration, erosion control, and revegetation of other moist, disturbed areas where quick, low growing ground cover is desired.  Given its apparent lack of competitiveness, this species may prove valuable as a temporary nurse crop for establishing perennial native species in both wetland and upland seed mixes.  Waterfowl and birds eat the seeds.  However, the foliage may be of less merit for wildlife herbage and cover compared to other grasses because of its short stature, lifespan, and limited productivity.  The palatability and nutritional value of annual hairgrass for livestock and game is not documented.  The vernal pools which it occupies are important reservoirs for aquatic invertebrates and amphibians.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Description and Adaptation

Annual hairgrass is a fine textured, native, cool season grass with smooth, slender stems (culms) that are 10 to 60 cm tall.  The form is upright to spreading, short, and somewhat tufted.  The narrow leaf blades are hairless, rough on the edges, slightly inrolled, 0.5 to 1.5 (2) mm wide, and 1 to 10 cm long.  Flower heads (panicles) are open, 7 to 25 cm long, with ascending lower branches.  Annual hairgrass occurs from near sea level at the coast to 8000 feet in the Rocky Mountains.  It is primarily found from Alaska south to Baja California and east to Montana and New Mexico; also the Northeast US and Chile.

Key to identification: Annual hairgrass can be distinguished from slender hairgrass (Deschampsia elongata) and tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) by its weaker root development, fewer leaves, and smaller stature. Without close inspection it may be confused with other annual grasses, such as annual fescues (Vulpia spp.).  Both may occur in waste areas.  Consult botanical keys for proper identification.

 

Relative abundance in wild:  While most common in the Pacific Coast states, the species can still be hard to locate.  However, it can occur in large stands, especially in vernal pools dominated by annuals.  Seed retention is fair and fill is good.  The period for wild collection can extend several weeks as maturation progresses along a soil moisture gradient within depressions. 

 

Adaptation: Annual hairgrass reaches its preeminence in vernal pools, mudflats and other shallow depressions that are ponded in winter and desiccated in summer.  In California, habitat also includes alkali and coastal grasslands, the edges of alkali playas, and seasonally or periodically inundated wetlands dominated by annuals.  Other habitats can include streambanks, roadsides, drier banks, vernal seepage areas, waste areas, and mountain meadows.  Typical substrates appear to be acidic (pH 5) to moderately alkaline fine textured clay soils and silt loams above a shallow, impervious layer.  However, it also grows on coarse textured substrates that stay moist through seed development.  Annual hairgrass apparently tolerates some salinity and prefers full sun.  Fall germinants actively grow all winter, tolerating several days to several weeks of continual submergence.

 

Establishment

Annual hairgrass germinates readily and is easy to establish on open, moist ground.  There is no seed dormancy and therefore no requirement for physiological conditioning or over wintering outdoors.  However, as a winter annual in milder growing climes of the West Coast, it is best suited to early fall sowing.  The seed should be run through a debearder or brush machine to remove pubescence (hairs).  This will accentuate further seed cleaning and improve flow through a drill and other planting device.  There are approximately 900,000 seeds per pound (+/- 30%).  A seeding rate of 1 lb/acre pure live seed (PLS) would result in 20 live seeds per square foot.  Seeding rates will vary widely depending on planting purpose, site conditions, and method used.

 

Management

As an annual, this species requires regular disturbance or moist to wet open ground in fall and winter in order to proliferate.  It is not competitive and is easily replaced by other species.  Annual hairgrass should be well suited to moist soil management techniques (slow de-watering, disking, etc.) in shallow water impoundments and other controlled wetlands.  Such methods are used to improve habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other wildlife by maximizing seed production of annuals. 

 

Environmental Concerns

Shallow roots and low herbage production may limit this species usefulness for soil stabilization on highly erosive soils or unconsolidated substrates.  While annual hairgrass is a weak competitor with weeds, it may be less likely to become a weed itself.  Although this species can increase in open waste areas, reports of this species becoming invasive are lacking. 

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Plants and seeds are sometimes available in California.  This species is generally not available elsewhere within its range, requiring wild harvests or contract seed growing to provide material.

 

Prepared By:

Dale Darris and Amy Bartow, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

 

Species Coordinator:

Dale Darris, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

 

Edited: 16mar2006 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture