Agrostis avenacea
Pacific bent grass
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Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Agrostis avenacea (Pacific bent grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by prominent bent awn from lemma middle and prolonged floret axis.
Pacific bent grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in southern North Coast, southern North Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Central Valley, Central Western California, and northern Southern California coastal regions in open, often disturbed places at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from June to July, this grass produces delicate, widely spreading inflorescences with thread-like branches 7 to 30 centimeters long. Growing 15 to 65 centimeters tall with erect, finely scabrous stems, it forms open, airy clumps. Its leaves have ligules 3 to 5 millimeters long and proximal blades 8 to 20 centimeters long, typically 1 to 3 millimeters wide and generally flat. The grass produces distinctive spikelets with bent awns 4 to 7.5 millimeters long, emerging from the middle of the lemma.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species; key features are prominent bent awn from lemma middle and prolonged floret axis
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, often disturbed places
Elevation: < 300 m
California counties: Amador, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Yuba, Kern, Monterey, Orange, Sacramento, Solano, San Diego, Sutter, Tehama, Glenn, Tuolumne, San Benito, Alameda, Stanislaus, Yolo, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, Calaveras, Imperial, Placer, Merced, Alpine, Mariposa
Outside California: to Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, native to southern Pacific islands
Bloom period
Agrostis avenacea blooms Jun-Jul.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
How to tell it apart
vs Oloptum: Oloptum has prominent bent awns; Agrostis awns are tiny or absent.; vs Holcus: Holcus has velvety-hairy spikelets; Agrostis spikelets are smooth and glossy.; vs Polypogon: Polypogon has dense bristly panicles; Agrostis panicles are airy and delicate.; vs Poa: Poa has boat-shaped lemmas with 5 veins; Agrostis lemmas are rounded with faint veins.; vs Festuca: Festuca has multiple flowers per spikelet; Agrostis has single-flowered spikelets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Agrostis avenacea native to California?
No. Agrostis avenacea is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Agrostis avenacea bloom?
Agrostis avenacea blooms Jun-Jul.
Where in California does Agrostis avenacea grow?
Agrostis avenacea occurs in Amador, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and other counties, at elevations of < 300 m.
What plant family does Agrostis avenacea belong to?
Agrostis avenacea is in the Poaceae family, genus Agrostis.
Is Agrostis avenacea invasive in California?
Agrostis avenacea is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.