Bottlebrush Squirreltail

Bottlebrush Squirreltail is a cool season, native, perennial bunch grass that plays a big role in reclamation work and native revegetation. This is a pioneer species meaning that it can colonize disturbed sites and is one of the first plants to germinate and start spreading in a new planting.  It is extremely drought tolerant after it gets established and has the potential to be very fire tolerant if the fires are not too extreme.  When it goes to seed, the seeds have awns which can cause problems for grazing animals.  This is one reason Bottlebrush is not used in pastures.  There are a wide range of varieties and source-identified strains of Bottlebrush, but in general this is an all-purpose species used in mixes for reclamation. Bottlebrush Squirreltail typically germinates in 10 to 14 days under the right conditions.