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Melanthiaceae
Beargrass
Xerophyllum tenax
Endurance through fire.
- Family
- Melanthiaceae
- Genus
- Xerophyllum
- Native to
- Western North America, Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 2-5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, acidic, poor
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Beargrass plants bloom only every 5–7 years, with individual plants synchronizing blooms in a given area.
- After fire, beargrass is one of the first plants to resprout from its deep root crown, quickly greening burned slopes.
- Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest wove beargrass leaves into baskets, hats, and clothing for millennia.
- Despite the name, it is not a true grass — it is a lily relative with tough, grass-like basal leaves up to 3 feet long.
- The tall flower spikes can hold thousands of tiny white flowers and are visible from great distances across mountain meadows.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
resilience
2
wilderness