Agrostis blasdalei
Blasdale's bent grass, Blasdale's bent grass, Blasdale's bent grass
Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Misc. Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC. 1950. (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC0
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Agrostis blasdalei (Blasdale's bent grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by very low coastal elevation, dense cylindrical inflorescence, and CNPS 1B.2 status.
Blasdale's bent grass is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in southern Northern Coast, northern Central Coast, and northern San Francisco Bay bioregions in coastal dunes, gravelly soils, and coastal scrub at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this grass produces delicate, pale green to white spikelets in dense, cylindric inflorescences 2 to 8 centimeters long. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 6 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms compact tufts with slender, slightly inrolled leaves. Its narrow leaves are typically 2 to 5 centimeters long and less than 1 millimeter wide, with short ligules 1 to 1.5 millimeters long. The small spikelets feature glumes 1.8 to 4 millimeters long and lemmas occasionally bearing a short, straight awn less than 0.7 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 12 sympatric species; key features are very low coastal elevation, dense cylindrical inflorescence, and CNPS 1B.2 status
Habitat and range
Habitat: Dunes, gravelly soils, coastal bluffs, scrub
Elevation: < 100 m
California counties: Marin, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, San Mateo, Monterey
Bloom period
Agrostis blasdalei blooms May-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
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 blasdalei native to California?
Yes. Agrostis blasdalei is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Agrostis blasdalei bloom?
Agrostis blasdalei blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Agrostis blasdalei grow?
Agrostis blasdalei occurs in Marin, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, San Mateo, Monterey, at elevations of < 100 m.
What plant family does Agrostis blasdalei belong to?
Agrostis blasdalei is in the Poaceae family, genus Agrostis.
Is Agrostis blasdalei rare or endangered?
Agrostis blasdalei carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S2.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.