woodland wildflower
Common beargrass
Xerophyllum tenax
Also known as Western Turkeybeard, Bear Lily, Pine Lily, Elk Grass, Squaw Grass, Beargrass, Turkeybeard
1 of 2Native to California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming and southern Canada
Coast Ranges and interior mountains from northern California to British Columbia; also Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho
- Light Full sun Sun tolerance
- Moisture Moisture preference
- Zones 3–10 Cold to heat range
- Bloom May–Aug Flowering time
- Height up to 6 ft to 1.8 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland wildflower for full sun. At up to 6 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 3–10.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Flower flies Thick-legged Hover Fly
also Black-margined Flower Fly, Common Flower Fly, Boreal Bristleside +10 more
Chalcosyrphus sp.M1, Hadromyia crawfordi, Eupeodes aberrantis, Hadromyia pulcher, Western Pond Fly, Black-legged Gossamer, Melangyna triangulifera, Chrysotoxum fasciatum, Eupeodes lapponicus, Mount Hood Blacklet - Beetles Yellow Velvet Beetle
also Dimorphic Flower Longhorn Beetle, Etorofus propinquus, Leptura propinqua +2 more
Cosmosalia chrysocoma, Evodinus monticola vancouveri - Bees Snowy Mining Bee also Western Honey Bee, Athabasca Sweat Bee
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming and southern CanadaUnited States (6): CA, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY. Canada (2): AB, BC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Coast Ranges and interior mountains from northern California to British Columbia; also Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming and IdahoThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 3–10 · Canadian 1–9The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- VariableThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.2The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 6 ft (to 1.8 m)Typical mature height.
- Spread
- ~7 ft (2 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 6+ in (15+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- May–AugWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- WhiteThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- SeedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.2 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- LowHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- SlowWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.