General: Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) is a spindly, upright grass that grows in individual clumps (bunches) in the deserts around Las Vegas. In the flowerhead, the individual ripe spikelets pack densely around the stem.

Prairie Junegrass is a small, mid-height bunchgras with low-growing leaves (to a several inches tall) and flowering stalks that reach to about 2-ft. The inflorescence is cylindrical, but tapers slightly towards the tip. The flowering spikelets are tan, tinged with purple, and short (to about 5-mm long) relative to other bunchgrasses in our area.

Junegrass is an uncommon component of vegetation associations in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone.

Family: Grass (Poaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Perennial grass. Grows in bunches.

Height: About 2 feet.