Xerophyllum tenax (Pursh) Nutt.
bear-grass (common beargrass)
Melanthiaceae
(Previously in Liliaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
bear-grass (common beargrass)
Melanthiaceae
(Previously in Liliaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a short, stout, somewhat woody rhizome; flowering stems erect, robust, 0.5-1.5 m tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves numerous in large clumps, rigid, wiry, narrowly linear (grass-like), 20-90 cm long, 1.5-6 mm wide, harshly rough-margined with tiny teeth; stem leaves several to many, reduced upward and eventually bract-like.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a dense, pyramidal, terminal cluster, at first bulbous and nippled, later elongating, 10-40 cm long, of numerous, stalked flowers, the stalks slender, 2-5 cm long; flowers white to cream, saucer-shaped, of 6 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals oblong, 5-10 mm long; stamens 6; pistil 1, 3-chambered.
Fruits:
Capsules, broadly egg-shaped, 3-lobed, 5-7 mm long; seeds oblong, 2 to 5 in each chamber, 3-4 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Xerophyllum tenax
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1741 | 660 | 2515 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
36 | 0 | 140 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
186 | 2 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
603 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(25), ESSF(423), ICH(91), IMA(1), MS(7) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to mesic coniferous forests, glades, meadows and clearings in the montane and subalpine zones; locally common in SE BC; E to AB and S to WY, ID and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Helonias tenax Pursh