Shrubs

• Various kinds of sagebrush dominate large tracts of the intermountain rangelands.Eastern Oregon image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
  
  Shrubs are important range plants in many grasslands and semi-desert areas of the U.S. Indeed, particular ecological landscapes are named for their dominance, like the shrub-steppe that blankets much of the intermountain west. Various kinds of sagebrush, distinguished by tough, green-gray leaves, are some of the most familiar, but there are also yellow-flowered broom snakeweeds and rabbit brush, among others.
  
  

Grasses

• In steppe country, grasses have immense ecological importance.Nebraska image by Luke Haverkamp from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether or not a tract of range is dominated visually by shrubs or not, grasses are often its most important form of vegetation. Species like bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue predominate on the Columbia Plateau, for example; buffalo grass and blue grama are prominent on shortgrass prairies. Look at leaf shape, seed heads and coloration when identifying grasses.
  
  

Other Plants

• There are many other plants encountered on the range, such as members of the sunflower family, like arrow-leaf balsamroot, and pea family, like locoweed and lupines. Take note of prominent features -- the fuzziness of a hairy plaintain, for example -- and tote along a field guide for reference.