Western Wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii (Rydb.) Á. Löve)

↑Range - Expand

Legend	Color
Native
Expanded
Native or Not Present
Native or Expanded
Expanded or Not Present

This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.

This species is widely planted as a forage crop, and even occasionally as a turf grass especially in rural and industrial settings and along roadsides, where it mowed less often and to a higher height than typical lawn grass. It can spread from these plantings into the wild. It thrives in overgrazed pastures, and can also tolerate salt, and can colonize disturbed habitats. These factors together have led to its widespread establishment east of its native range, mostly only slightly eastward in the Midwest. We mark the new range as expanded because it is mostly adjacent to the native range and shows a clear pattern of expansion, even though there are scattered populations farther east and southeast.