Short Awn Foxtail Seeds (Alopecurus aequalis)

Short Awn Foxtail is a native grass of temporarily watery lands. It is not, as some might mistakenly believe, the non-native weedy meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis). Indeed this is an increasingly rare species in many locations, a plant lost to foolhardy drainage schemes and habitat degradation. 

Found across much of North America, this small, well-mannered grass preferentially occupies shallow wetlands and seasonally flooded meadows (where the foliage and seeds are heartily enjoyed by waterfowl). Short awn foxtail can easily withstand months of flooding, then emerge lush and dark green on the flood-receded ground, as though it knew its time in the sun would eventually arrive. Know however that this plant can grow and thrive even in drier, upland soils, but it doesn’t perform well with competition from larger, more vigorous species in those dry places. Additionally, while this is usually a fresh water associated species, we see it growing on soils that receive some seasonal below ground saltwater infiltration. 

Short awn foxtail is a cool-season short-lived perennial (sometimes functionally an annual) that remains roughly 6 to 18 inches tall. We’ve experimentally seeded it into wet lawns (!) with good effect, watching it grow where traditional turf struggles. Combine with meadowfoam, popcorn flower, and blue-eyed mary, to create an annual springtime display in areas that stay damp all winter western regions. Or plant it with native Persicaria east of the Rockies. A “must have” for bioswales and rain gardens. 

Approximately 5,000+ seeds (6-grams).