Yellow Foxtail is a summer annual grass that is quite weedy. Its natural habits include gravelly areas along rivers, vacant lots, lawns, grassy areas along roads and railroad tracks, fields, pastures. It is seldom found in natural areas, it prefers full sun with moist to slightly dry conditions in disturbed landscapes as noted above. The yellow bristles of its immature spikelets, the number of bristles at the base of each spikelet and its straight raceme blooms make this variety of foxtail stand out from other varieties. Other varieties have green or purple bristles, fewer bristles at the base and nodding panicle blooms. The 8" long flat-leaf sheaths can range in color from green to greyish-blue. The 5" raceme of florets sits atop these sheaths. The immature spikelets are a shiny green and the bristles yellow. When blooming, the bristles become a tawny color. At full maturity, the entire spike becomes light tan. The root system if fibrous on this self-seeding specimen. Varieties and Subspecies, including one on the federal list of noxious weeds, are no longer recognized as distinct from the species. All plants of this species can have weedy and aggressive tendencies. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant can become very aggressive, especially in disturbed areas.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Clumping; Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Blue; Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The ligule is hairy, with long sparse hairs on the lower 2/3 of the leaf.
Flower form
Panicle; Raceme; Spike
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Seedheads are spikelike, with several bristles on each seed.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Fruit detail
Oval and somewhat flattened seeds
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems branch from the base, are upright and hairless or nearly hairless and are sometimes seen with a reddish tint at the base.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Eurasia
Distribution
Throughout the US in open areas and disturbed turf.
Wildlife value
The leaves are of medium palatability for browsing mammals, attracting herbivores such as rabbits and voles. Grazing livestock will eat the immature leaves, however the bristles on the mature seed head may cause injury to mouthparts in horses and cattle. The seeds are a foodsource for many bird species.