Yellow Mountain Avens vs Bluebunch Wheatgrass - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Mountain Avens vs Bluebunch Wheatgrass

Dryas drummondii

Pseudoroegneria spicata

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Yellow Mountain Avens
Bluebunch Wheatgrass

Yellow Mountain Avens is a native perennial wildflower with bright yellow buttercup-like blooms. The nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. By thriving at higher elevations, it helps sustain pollinator populations and provides one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen in alpine habitats.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Mountain Avens enriches soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. It forms dense, spreading mats of evergreen foliage that act as a groundcover and help stabilize soil. Often among the first species to establish in disturbed alpine sites such as glacial outwash or landslides, it is well-suited for alpine revegetation, erosion control, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects in harsh, rocky environments.

Bluebunch Wheatgrass is a native perennial bunchgrass common across prairies, foothills, and open woodlands. It has a long life span, unlike many other grasses.
This grass competes well with invasive species, has extensive root systems and is drought tolerant. It provides forage for deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and is extremely palatable by livestock. Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals, while its dense clumps offer nesting and shelter.

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

Bluebunch Wheatgrass Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: mat-forming, creeping
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Spreading: tillering - high, seeds - medium


Foliage: evergreen, leathery
Flowers: yellow, buttercup-like, nodding
Bloom time: spring to summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NL, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, YT
Other Names: drummonds dryad, drummonds mountain avens, yellow dryad