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Xerophyllum tenax
Also called Bear-grass, Beargrass, Basket-grass, Western Turkeybeard, Indian Basket Grass, Bear Lily, Elk Grass
Common beargrass is a perennial, grass-like herb in the Melanthiaceae family that grows in tufts of long, narrow leaves and sends up a club-shaped flower spike. It does best in open forest or meadow with good light and cool conditions, and flowers irregularly rather than on a fixed cycle.
Xerophyllum tenax is a species of plants in the corn lily family. It is known by several common names, including bear grass, soap grass, quip-quip, and Indian basket grass. Beargrass can grow to be a little over 1.2 metres (4 ft) tall when in a preferred habitat and ideal conditions. The plant typically blooms at irregular intervals, depending on environmental factors such as moisture and temperature.
The plant is found in the same forested and meadowed areas where bears are commonly present. It thrives in environments such as the Pacific Northwest, California, and parts of the Rocky Mountains. Bears are known to feed on the softer leaf bases of the plant, which may have influenced its common name. The rootstock and pods were cooked and eaten by Native Americans, who also used the long, fibrous leaves for weaving.
The plant is found mostly in western North America from British Columbia south to California and east to Wyoming, in subalpine meadows and coastal mountains, and also on low ground in the California coastal fog belt as far south as Monterey County. It is common on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Cascades, northern Sierra Nevada and Rockies.
The fibrous leaves, which turn white as they dry, are tough, durable, and easily dyed and manipulated into tight waterproof weaves. Native Americans have woven the plant in baskets, including the Hupa, who use it to create a border pattern. Native Americans historically roasted the rootstock for food; they also ate the pods, which are good cooked. Native Americans also braid dried leaves and adorn them on traditional buckskin dresses and jewelry.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Xerophyllum tenax by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
