What does beargrass mean?
Beargrass is the common name given to several different plants that share long, slender, grass-like leaves — though none of them is actually a true grass. The best-known species, Xerophyllum tenax, is a hardy perennial native to the mountains of western North America, where it forms low tufts of tough evergreen foliage and sends up dramatic stalks crowned with dense clusters of small white blossoms. The plant holds real cultural significance: for centuries, Indigenous peoples have gathered its supple leaves to weave into baskets, mats, and regalia, where they are prized for their durability and pale sheen. The name itself likely derives from the observation that bears eat the young shoots. Beyond botany, beargrass appears in the vocabulary of hikers, gardeners, florists, and craftspeople, lending any sentence a vivid, naturalistic flavor.
nounAny of several plants with long, narrow, grass-like leaves; especially Xerophyllum tenax of western North America, which bears tall spikes of small white flowers and is used by Indigenous peoples in basketry.
- Xerophyllum tenax, a perennial herb of western North America with tufted grass-like leaves and tall white flowering stalks, valued in traditional basketry.
- Any of various other plants called 'bear's grass', such as Ruscus hypoglossum or certain yucca-like species, so named because bears are said to eat them.
"The mountain slopes were dotted with beargrass, its creamy flower spikes rising above the undergrowth."
"Hikers paused at the ridge to admire the beargrass blooming in dense white clusters."
"Weavers harvested beargrass leaves carefully, drying them for use in fine coiled baskets."
Used mainly in botanical or descriptive writing; singular use remains far more common.
"The trailside slopes were covered in beargrasses of varying heights."
Despite the name, beargrass is not a true grass at all — it is more closely related to the lily or asparagus families.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of beargrass
Beargrass is a compound of 'bear' (Old English bera) and 'grass' (Old English græs), formed in English to describe plants whose grass-like foliage was believed to be eaten by bears. It belongs to a wider English pattern of animal-plus-plant compounds such as bearberry. Because several distinct species carry the name, the compound arose independently for different plants rather than spreading from a single source, making its exact first attestation difficult to pin down beyond the general early-modern period.
Related word forms
How beargrass is actually used
The name covers several unrelated plants, so context or scientific naming matters when precision is needed. In North American usage it most often refers to Xerophyllum tenax. Register is neutral; the word appears chiefly in botanical, hiking, and craft contexts.
Easily confused with beargrass
Buckwheat is a grain crop unrelated to beargrass, despite both names combining an animal word with a plant term.
Sawgrass is a wetland sedge with sharp-toothed leaves, while beargrass typically grows on dry mountainsides and has smooth-edged foliage.