Great Basin wildrye grows to heights of 3 to 5 feet on wetter sites.

Grasses are a natural component of the grass/sagebrush steppe environment found in the John Day Fossil Beds.

Even with onslaughts from encroaching juniper and invading grasses and forbs like medusahead rye or Dalmation toadflax, there are still many nearly pristine areas within the monument that have healthy plant communities comprised primarily of grasses.

The rangeland grasses vary between the 3 major range types found on the monument. These are: 1)Bottomland & fans; 2) Warm, low precipitation terraces and footslopes; and 3)Higher precipitation terraces and uplands.

Bunchgrasses tend to grow in a clump with exposed soil or other plants between each distinct plant. Soil types, rainfall amounts, the aspect (north versus south facing slopes) and changes brought on by man all influence the types of grass that are currently growing. The common bunchgrasses include basin wildrye, blue-bunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, and Thurbers needlegrass.

Other bunchgrasses that mix in with these major grasses include needle&thread grass, Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

Cheatgrass, medusahead rye, toadflax and the knapweeds are common noxious invaders in the lower elevations that can completely displace a native grass stand if not controlled. Many of the bunchgrasses will lose their vigor over time and have difficulties germinating and starting young plants in the absence of fire. This is a primary purpose for the interest in restoring fire as a natural process on the landscape, thereby reducing the competition from encroaching junipers and sagebrush and giving the grasses a new start about every 15 years. Since they are perennial and resprout from the root crown each year, properly planned and timed prescribed fires can bring on a flush of new growth and vigor to the adult plants and create open sites for new seedlings.

Sod-forming grasses are familiar to most people as these are the grasses used in lawns and at golf courses. The 2 important native grasses in this category include Sandberg bluegrass and big bluegrass. Of course cheatgrass seems to compete well with the bluegrasses and has replaced them in many areas.

Another grass that forms dense stands along the riparian courses, but is so tall and rank that it doesn’t look like a good sod grass unless mowed, is reed canarygrass. The jury is still out on what areas this grass was native to in the Northwest and which areas man has seeded it into.