Sonoran Desert Grasses

Many, many species. Just a few shown for now ...

Wild Oat	Avena fatua	Witchgrass	Panicum capillare
Tall annual grass of spring. Fairly common along washes at mid and higher elevations of the Sonoran Desert. Detailed Description		Annual grass late spring and summer in moister soils. Widely spaced spikelets on broad panicle. Detailed Description
Sacaton	Sporobolus airoides	Tobosa Grass	Pleuraphis mutica
Medium-sized, growing in tough clumps in seasonally flooded and partly saline soil. Detailed Description		Perennial grass regrowing with rains from tough rhizomes. Height about 1 m. Inflorescense a spike. Detailed Description
Foxtail Barley	Hordeum jubatum	Little Barley	Hordeum pusillum
Annual grass of spring growing mostly as a weed in urban and agricultural settings. Also at roadsides and along wetter washes. Common to abundant. Detailed Description		Smaller than foxtail barley and the awns of the spikes are considerably shorter. In Arizona a spring annual. Detailed Description
Canary Grass	Phalaris minor	Rabbitfoot Grass	Polypogon monspeliensis
Introduced annual growing mostly in agricultural and pasture settings. In Arizona a spring annual. Detailed Description		Attractive annual grass found mid to late spring in moist, riparian habitats. Showy plume-like spikes. Non-native. Detailed Description

Buffel Grass	Pennisetum ciliare	Fountain Grass	Pennisetum setaceum
Perennial and highly invasive weed in the Sonoran Desert. Maroon colored spikes; can bloom almost anytime of year. Grows on rocky slopes and at roadsides and may appear shrubby. Detailed Description		Large perennial grass widely planted for its ornamental value in Sonoran Desert urban xeriscapes. Unfortunately it is not native and has begun invading natural desert areas as at roadsides and along major washes. Tall, purple-maroon spikes. Detailed Description
Johnson Grass	Sorghum halepense	Tufted Lovegrass Desert Lovegrass	Eragrostis pectinacea
Large perennial grass forming thickets. Spikelets in pyramidal inflorescence are reddish when in flower. Weedy invasive growing along ditches and riparian streams. Detailed Description		Annual tufted grass with many small, compressed spikelets with 5 to 15 florets. Washes and roadsides. Detailed Description