Bear Grass, Common Beargrass, Western Turkeybeard

Bear grass is an attractive perennial wildflower, especially while in bloom. The leaves are in basal clumps. Individual leaves are tough and very long and linear, measuring from 15-60 cm long and from 1.5-4 mm wide. The thick stem can measure up to 150 cm high. Many thin leaves are found on the stems (See photo at right.), with these reduced in size upwards up the stem.

The attractive inflorescence of many white flowers is short and closely flowered at first, but elongates up to as much as 50 cm long late in bloom. The 6 white tepals are oblong in shape and measure from 6-8 mm long. The stamens are equal in length or longer than the tepals.

Bear grass may be found in moist meadows and in open woods in the mountains. It is found near sea level on the Olympic Peninsula and up to 7000' in the Rocky Mts.

Bear grass may be found from British Columbia south through the Cascade Mts. to California and east to the Rocky Mts. in Idaho and Montana. It is also found in the Olympic Mts.