Across the vast landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, one resilient plant has profoundly shaped people and land for many centuries: Indian ricegrass. It’s at home in many different settings, from stark deserts to ponderosa forests.
Ricegrass doesn't grow tall, reaching heights of only 1 to 2.5 feet. But its presence is undeniable.
Its white, rounded flower clusters house small, dark seeds, making it easy to point out in a crowd. When these clusters break open, the seeds go skittering through the air.
For generations, Indigenous communities in the region have relied on this hardy grass as a lifeline. Native peoples long ago learned to forage for ricegrass by gently striking the plant with paddles, then gathering the seeds in woven baskets. Grinding the seeds results in a flour that can be used to make everything from bread to porridge, tortillas and even dumplings.
Ricegrass provides for wildlife, too. Its shorter stature makes it an easy yet favored meal among wildlife like elk, deer and birds, which find it nutritious enough to sustain them through the changing seasons.
But ricegrass is not just a food source. It’s also a caretaker of the land, protecting the very soil that sustains it by digging its roots deep and anchoring itself. That helps the plant resist strong winds and also keeps the soil beneath it from eroding. From root to seed, ricegrass helps stitch arid landscapes together.
This Earth Note was written by Octavio Alcocer Duran and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
