Woolgrass vs Pinegrass - TreeTime.ca

Woolgrass vs Pinegrass

Calamagrostis rubescens

Scirpus cyperinus

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Pinegrass
Woolgrass

Pinegrass is a hardy, native perennial grass common in forested regions of western North America. It is an important understory species and is typically found beneath conifer canopies. Due to its spreading nature and ability to form dense mats that cover the forest floor, it helps stabilize soils and reduce erosion.

It provides forage for wildlife and livestock, shelter for small animals, and seeds for birds, playing an important ecological role in woodland ecosystems. Pinegrass is well-suited for ecological restoration, soil stabilization, and naturalization projects.

Woolgrass is a native perennial sedge that forms dense clumps in wetlands, ditches, and along shorelines. Its ability to thrive in saturated soils and shallow water, combined with its spreading growth habit, makes it especially valuable for waterside & riparian plantings, erosion control, ecological restoration, and naturalization projects.

The distinctive spikelets are covered in brown woolly bristles, which is where it gets the name Woolgrass. It produces seeds that are eaten by waterfowl and small mammals, while its dense stems offer cover and nesting habitat. It grows most actively in spring and fall, slowing or going dormant in the summer heat.

Pinegrass Quick Facts

Woolgrass Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: upright, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Spreading: rhizomes - medium


Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB
Native to: MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: pine reedgrass
Other Names: brown woolly sedge, common woolgrass, common woolly bulrush, cottongrass bulrush, marsh bulrush, wool grass