AbstractSilage was made from the dominant native grasses growing on the Inner Mongolian Plateau, including Baical needlegrass (Stipa baicalensis), China leymus (Leymus chinensis), Scabrous hideseedgrass (Cleistogenes squarrosa), Ruthenia medic (Melissilus ruthenicus) and Slenderleaf pulsatilla (Pulsatilla turczaninovii) and their microbial populations, chemical composition and silage fermentation were studied. Before ensiling, these grasses contained per g of fresh matter (FM) 105lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cell‐forming units (cfu), 107aerobic bacteria, 103–105coliform bacteria, yeasts and molds. TheLABcounts increased rapidly after 2 days of fermentation and remained dominant during the fermentation process. After 7 days of ensiling, the coliform bacteria and molds were below detectable levels in all silages. The crude protein (CP) of these grasses ranged from 8.93 to 14.95% of dry matter (DM), and the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) comprised 58.29–70.05% ofDM. Crude protein content of Ruthenia medic was higher and theNDFand acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of Slenderleaf pulsatilla were lower than those of the other grasses. During ensiling, the organic matter,CP, ether extract,NDFandADFcontents in each kind of silage did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). During the progression of ensiling, the lactic acid and acetic acid contents increased in all silages, while thepHdecreased. At day 30, all silages had similar fermentation patterns; more than 0.58%FMlactic acid was produced and thepHwas reduced below 4.44. The results suggest that the native grasses can be used to prepare good quality silages.