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Forage Value

Field Guide for Common California Rangeland and Pasture Plants 2016, with forage information on both natives and non-natives

Ranchers "should increase the diversity on their pastures and avoid monocultures, especially of perennial ryegrass," -Jochen Krauss.

Vikuk V, CA Young, ST Lee, P Nagabhyru, M Krischke, MJ Mueller, J Krauss. 2019. Infection Rates and Alkaloid Patterns of Different Grass Species with Systemic Epichloë Endophytes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology Aug 2019, 85 (17) e00465-19; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00465-19

Forage Values of Some Native Grasses

Scientific Name	Common Name	Life Cycle	Nativity	Family	Forage Value
Bromus sitchenesis var. carinatus (formerly Bromus carinatus)	California bromegrass	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Elymus glaucus	Blue wildrye	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Festuca idahoensis	Blue fescue	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Melica bulbosa	Oniongrass	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	Fair¹
Melica californica	California melic	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	Fair¹
Melica imperfecta	Coast range melic	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Melica torreyana	Torrey's melica	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	Fair¹
Poa secunda	Pine bluegrass	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	Fair²
Stipa cernua	Nodding needle grass	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Stipa comata	Needle-and-thread	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Stipa lepida	Foothill needle grass	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹
Stipa pulchra	Purple needle grass	Perennial grass	native	POACEAE	High¹

¹Sampson, AW, A Chase and DW Hedrick. 1951. California Grasslands and Range Forage Grasses. California Agricultural Experimental Station, The College of Agriculture, University of California. Bulletin 724.

²USDA Fire Effects System. https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/poasec/all.html.