Native/Reclamation Seed

We Know Native Grasses

Our inventory of Native and Reclamation Seed products is unrivaled in Canada. If you cannot find a specific native seed product, then you’re at the right place. We have the Native Seed experts on staff that know this
business and work in it every day. We have the solutions you require.

Native Species are the key to effectively reclaim damaged areas during construction of roads, golf courses, parks, mining and energy projects.

We have the quality control to ensure that our products are the best. We own Canada’s largest privately held seed laboratory. Our lab technicians are specifically trained and Certified to work with Native Species product line-up. This is our quality assurance to everyone we work with.

Click here to download a copy of the Native/Reclamation Seed Reference Guide or click on the species name below for more information on that particular variety.

Native Species	Description/Reclamation Use
Purple Prairie Clover Dalea purpureum var. purpureum	Description: Purple Prairie Clover is a warm season perennial legume. It is found on prairie grasslands, eroded slopes, and dry banks preferring fine to coarse soils / sun to part shade. Reclamation use: Purple Prairie clover is a deep tap rooted, soil stabilizer. Violet prairie clover can be used in roadside plantings, as wildlife food and habitat, in wildflower gardens because of its attractive flowers, and as a small component in a seeding mixture for prairie restoration. This plant is highly palatable and nutritious. It is grazed often and tends to decrease under heavy use. Violet prairie clover fixes nitrogen in the soil.
American Vetch Vicia americana	Description: American Vetch is an herb species of the Northwest forest. The seeds were used as a food source by some North American Native peoples. The leaves were rubbed and applied to spider bites. Roots of the plant were considered as a good luck charm when held in their pockets. Reclamation Use: American Vetch is a legume used primarily for soil improvement along roadsides and for bank stabilization. Well-nodulated vetch can enrich the soil with nitrogen through nitrogen fixation. Once established it provides enough cover to suppress weeds and protect soil. An excellent forage plant that is palatable to both livestock and wild life.
Hairy Vetch Vicia villosa (Introduced)	Description: Hairy Vetch, an introduced species, is a winter-hardy legume. Used as a cover crop in Ontario and in the US upper Midwest. Forage trials in Saskatchewan and Alberta have shown great promise as a short-term rotation, green manure, intercrops and/or late season grazing crop in Western Canada. Reclamation Use: Hairy Vetch is a legume used primarily for soil improvement along roadsides and for bank stabilization. Well-nodulated hairy vetch can enrich the soil with 60 to 120 lb/acre of nitrogen through nitrogen fixation. Once established it provides enough cover to suppress weeds and protect soil.
Canada Milkvetch Astragalus canadensis	Description: Canadian milkvetch is a native legume that is widely distributed across all but the extreme southeastern and southwestern United States. It is found naturally in moist prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, thickets, and streambanks. Reclamation Use: Erosion control, forage quality, wetland restoration / enhancement, and wildlife habitiat benefits.
Red Top Agrostis gigantean (Introduced)	Description: Red Top is an introduced cool season grass found throughout Canada and the U.S.A. Reclamation Use: Red Top has good seedling vigor and will establish fairly quickly. Its best reclamation use is on wetter sites, which have acidic soil conditions. Red Top’s strong rhizomatous nature makes it a good erosion control species. Red Top has fairly low palatability, which means it can provide cover for some nesting waterfowl.
Ticklegrass Agrostis scabra	Description: Ticklegrass, (hair grass, rough hair grass) named for its characteristic to tickle your bare legs as you walk through it. It is found from near sea level. Reclamation Use: Provides excellent cover to prevent surface erosion. Hair grass is a common pioneer of abandoned fields throughout the prairies. It has been found growing on soils with total Cu and Ni contents up to 450 ppm and 500 ppm respectively. Ticklegrass has been reported as a pioneer on a relatively dry white spruce area near Norman Wells, N.W.T.
Fults Alkaligrass Puccinellia distans (Introduced)
Inland Saltgrass Distichlis spicata
Blue Grama Bouteloua gracilis	Description: Blue Grama is a long-lived, warm season native. It is valued as forage. Blue Grama flowers are also used in dried flower arrangements. Reclamation Use: Blue Grama is best suited for reclaiming areas where drought and salt tolerance are essential and slow establishment is not a concern. Once established, Blue Grama is a good soil stabilizer because of its strong root system. It is very low growing and will work well in low maintenance situations. Forage produced from Blue Grama is of high quality and livestock will gain well on it. Germination is good, but seedling vigor is poor. Plant spreads well by tillers.
Side Oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula
Glacier Alpine Bluegrass Poa alpina	Description: Glacier Alpine Bluegrass is native to the alpine meadows of Alberta and arctic regions of the Territories. It was selected by Prairie Seeds from the eastern slopes of the Rockies. This Alpine Bluegrass is propagated in Alberta by BrettYoung. Reclamation Use: Alpine Bluegrass has been used in the National Parks of Alberta and British Columbia, on pipelines, road clearings and other disturbances. It establishes well early in the fall and spring, and is a good colonizer of disturbances.
Canada Bluegrass Poa compressa (Introduced)	Description: Canada Bluegrass has been described as a native and an introduced species. It is found in the Western Plains across North America. Reclamation Use: Canada Bluegrass is a tough, sod forming grass ideal for stabilizing low, fertile rocky to clay soils. Due to the deep root, spreading rhizomes and low growth, Canada Bluegrass is used extensively for erosion control and low maintenance landscaping on infertile roadsides, mine wastes and reclamation areas
Fowl Bluegrass Poa palustris (Introduced)	Description: Fowl Bluegrass is native to the marsh wet lands of the Parkland areas of the Prairie Provinces. Not restricted to marshes, Fowl Bluegrass can be found anywhere in the Parkland where moisture is adequate. Fowl Bluegrass is often harvested with Creeping Red Fescue or Red Top crops in northern Alberta. The bluegrass is separated out when the other crops are cleaned. Reclamation Use: Fowl Bluegrass is one of many water loving native grasses. It is compatible with Reed Canarygrass, ticklegrass (Agrostis scabra), tufted hairgrass and fescues. Generally Fowl Bluegrass will be one of the least expensive grasses in a reclamation mix with the above species
Glaucous Bluegrass Poa glauca
Sandberg Bluegrass Poa secunda ssp. sand-bergii
Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
Fringed Bromegrass Bromus ciliatus	Description: Fringed Bromegrass is a coarse, loosely tufted perennial that grows between .5-1.0m tall. Reclamation Use: Excellent for roadside ditches, burrow pits and where the landscape is hummocky and rolling.
Mountain Bromegrass Bromus marginatus	Description: Mountain Bromegrass is a robust bunchgrass that grows between 60 and 120 cm high. It is only slightly tolerant of saline soils and prefers moist sites. Reclamation Use: Excellent for road cuts and mined lands where rapidly developing seedlings are required.
Nodding Bromegrass Bromus anomalus
Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
Alpine Fescue Festuca brachyphylla
Rocky Mountain Fescue Festuca saximontana
Foothills Rough Fescue Festuca campestris	Description: Foothills Rough Fescue, Rough fescues originated from the arctotertiary flora. They were adapted to the subalpine and boreal forest climates and continue to this day to be grasses of the subalpine or grasses of the forest edge. Reclamation Use: Foothills Rough Fescue is a must usage on dry slopes where there is a thin black layer of soil. Recommended for revegatating disturbances as well as restoring altered rangelands. Best used in a mix with early successional grasses that will provide the necessary cover while the rough fescue establishes itself.
Plains Rough Fescue Festuca hallii
Hard Fescue Festuca trachyphylla (Introduced)
Sheep Fescue Festuca ovina (Introduced)	Description: Sheep Fescue is an introduced cool season, bunch grass adapted to central and northern latitudes of the U.S. Reclamation Use: Sheep Fescue establishes slowly, but has better seedling vigor than common sheep fescue. Due to the slow establishment and non-aggressive nature of sheep fescue it is a non-invasive species. Once the root system has developed it will persist. Sheep Fescue will establish on sandy and gravelly soils of low nutrient levels. It is shade tolerant and tolerant of competition of faster establishing, taller species in a seed mix. It is not tolerant of saline or alkaline soils, which limits its use under some prairie conditions.
Idaho Fescue Festuca idahoensis
Junegrass Koeleria macrantha	Description: Prairie Junegrass is a short, densely tufted perennial bunchgrass, which multiplies through seed and tillers. Plants are usually widely spaced and can with stand repeated grazing. Reclamation Use: Prairie Junegrass grows in a wide range of conditions wet to dry and is already established throughout North America. It grows well in coarse soils and has a high survival rate on the alpine and subalpine Eastern Slopes. Excellent results stabilizing tailings and sand at Fort McMurray.
AC Mallard Green Needle Grass Nassella viridula	Description: AC Mallard Green Needlegrass is a native grass of the northern plains. It was developed by Ducks Unlimited Canada and propagated by BrettYoung. Reclamation Use: AC Mallard Green Needlegrass does have good seedling vigor and will produce quicker cover than many other species. AC Mallard Green Needlegrass has good forage growth and very good palatability. This means it is well suited to the re-vegetation of disturbed rangeland and mine sites that will be grazed. Since it has a well-developed deep root system, AC Mallard Green Needlegrass is a good soil stabilizer.
Needle and Thread Grass Hesperostipa comata ssp. comata	Description: Needle and Thread grass is so called because of the unusually long twisted awns that are suggestive of a threaded sewing needle. Reclamation Use: Needle and Thread grass is so called because of the unusually long twisted awns that are suggestive of a threaded sewing needle.
Western Porcupine Grass Stipa curtiseta	Description: Western Porcupine Grass, named due the mature awns resembling the quills of a porcupine Reclamation Use: Western Porcupine Grass is one of the important native grasses of the Canadian mixed prairie. This species shows a natural tendency to establish well on disturbances. Forage value of porcupine grass has good with protein content in spring as high as 20% dropping to 5% when plants cured.
Prairie Sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia	Description: Prairie Sandreed, also known as “sandgrass” or “sand reedgrass,” is a tall, sod-forming, native, long-lived, warm-season, perennial grass of the northern and central Great Plains. It is used mostly for soil stabilization on sandy sites. Prairie Sandreed abounds on some areas which support but a few other forage plants. Reclamation Use: Prairie Sandreed is used to lend diversity to minesoil plantings but better used to stabilize dry sand dunes or blown out area not subjected to heavy usage.
Bluejoint Reedgrass Calamagrostis canadensis	Description: Bluejoint, also known as Canada reed grass, marsh or meadow pine grass. A long lived perennial. Very winter hardy Reclamation Use: Bluejoint has been evaluated for re-vegetation in several trials in tundra and northern boreal forest sites. It was found slow to establish, but by the end of the growing season, cover and biomass production equaled or exceeded those of commercial varieties.
Sand Dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Description: Sand Dropseed is one of 40 species of dropseed in North America. It is 1 of 3 varieties that ranges north into Canada and is found throughout the prairies. Named because of its ability to drop seeds before maturity. Reclamation Use: Sand Dropseed has value in stabilizing loose sandy soils. It is very drought tolerant and increases production with abusive grazing or after a drought. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 20 years.
Indian Ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides	Description: Indian Ricegrass has been described both as a warm season and cool season grass. Reclamation Use: Indian Ricegrass has good seedling vigor but does have a problem with seed dormancy so higher seeding rates are recommended. It is an excellent species for re-vegetating dry, infertile, sandy sites such as blowouts or dunes. Since Indian Ricegrass grows on extreme sites where many other grasses do not and it has a deep root system, it is a good soil builder and will stabilize slopes. It is a highly palatable grass so it can be used on rangeland.
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans
Beckmans Sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne
Spike Trisetum Trisetum spicatum
Alpine Timothy Phleum alpinum	Description: Alpine Timothy is commonly called Mountain Timothy, Wild Timothy, Alpine Cats Tail, Fleole des Alpes, etc. Reclamation Use: Recommended for re-vegetation of alpine ranges and wildlife habitats. Has been used with some success on re-vegetation of high elevation mine spoils in Montana. Best results occur in the western Canadian Arctic and also peat and mineral soils.
Nortran Tufted Hairgrass Deschampsia caespitosa	Description: Nortran Tufted Hairgrass is a circumpolar native grass. It is found from Greenland to Alaska, south through the prairies and mountains of North America. Tufted Hairgrass is also found in Eurasia and Europe. Reclamation Use: Nortran Tufted Hairgrass is a circumpolar native grass. It is found from Greenland to Alaska, south through the prairies and mountains of North America. Tufted Hairgrass is also found in Eurasia and Europe.
Adanac Slender Wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus	Description: Adanac Slender Wheatgrass is the newest certified variety of slender wheatgrass. The second registered Canadian variety of slender wheatgrass, Adanac Slender Wheatgrass was developed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was preceded by Revenue Slender Wheatgrass. Adanac Slender Wheatgrass originated from seed of a single plant obtained in a native stand of slender wheatgrass near Climax, Saskatchewan. Reclamation Use: Adanac Slender Wheatgrass, like Revenue Slender Wheatgrass, is a very fast establishing grass. It establishes more readily than other perennial grasses, especially in dry light textured soils. Adanac Slender Wheatgrass has superior salt tolerance and forage production when compared to Revenue Slender Wheatgrass under the prairie conditions of Western Canada.
Awned Wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus ssp. subsecundus
Elbee Northern Wheatgrass Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus	Description: Elbee Northern Wheatgrass is a Canadian certified variety of native grass developed at the Lethbridge Research Station. It is a hardy long-lived perennial that is extremely drought tolerant. Elbee Northern Wheatgrass is an essential native species to the grasslands of the prairies. Reclamation Use: Elbee Northern Wheatgrass provides drought tolerance and strong creeping rhizomes that bind the soil for excellent erosion control. Also, it forms a smooth sod for use on non-irrigated recreational fields and airport runways. It’s tolerance to soil salinity makes it suitable for seeding on canal banks and roadways. This multi-purpose grass will provide the solution to reclamation problems in dry, alkaline areas of the prairies
Streambank Wheatgrass Elymus lanceolatus ssp. psammophilus
Pubescent Wheatgrass Thinopyrum intermedium ssp. barbulatum (Introduced)
Walsh Western Wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii	Description: Walsh Western Wheatgrass is a native Canadian certified variety developed at Lethbridge, Alberta. It is a tough, sod forming native that is one of the most valuable species in the grasslands of Western Canada. Reclamation Use: The tough, soil-binding property of Walsh Western Wheatgrass makes it an efficient soil stabilizer. Its low growth is ideal for re-vegetation of industrial sites, roadsides and other areas that receive little maintenance. Creeping rhizomes allow it to spread, especially on heavy clay bottom soils subject to cracking. Walsh Western Wheatgrass will excel in dry areas where saline soils make reclamation difficult.
Violet Wheatgrass Agropyron violaceum	Description: Violet wheatgrass is an extremely winter hardy wheatgrass used for the sub arctic regions and higher elevation all along the Rocky Mountains. Reclamation Use: Violet wheatgrass is recommended as an early successional reclamation species for disturbed sites ranging from the warmer parts of the high arctic to alpine meadows of the Northern Rockies. It is considered an increaser in its adapted range.
Bluebunch Wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata ssp. spicata
Fairway Crested Wheatgrass Agropyron cristatum (Introduced)
Tall Wheatgrass Thinopyrum ponticum (Introduced)
ARC Centennial Canada Wild Rye Elymus canadensis	Description: ARC Centennial Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass found throughout the Northern Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada. Reclamation Use: ARC Centennial Canada Wildrye is found throughout the prairies from riverbanks to sandy areas and from prairies to parkland ecosystems. It is a quick starting species that does well on disturbed sites where moisture accumulates. For example, sandy stream channels, highway ditches, borrow pits and shady areas. It is quick starting but not long lived (four years) and should be seeded with slower developing longer-lived species. For forage, it has early spring green-up and good fall regrowth to provide spring and late fall grazing. As it matures, the vegetation becomes less palatable. Good germination and vigorous seedlings make ARC Centennial Canada Wildrye easy to establish. Stands are difficult to maintain, and will decline over time.
Smooth Wildrye Elymus glaucus
Hairy Wild Rye Elymus innovatus	Description: Hairy Wildrye is an erect sod forming bunch grass. It grows 0.4 to 1.0 m in height and it propagates through rhizomes and seeds. It has high salt and medium drought tolerance and grows well in sandy and gravel bearing soils. Reclamation Use: Hairy Wildrye colonizes disturbed areas rapidly and along with its deep and spreading root system, acts to reduce wind and water erosion. Regarded as a good sand binder. Good growth achieved on coalmine soil in the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Alberta.