Agrostis microphylla
Small-leaf bent grass, Small-Leaf Bent Grass
(c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Agrostis microphylla (Small-leaf bent grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by annual habit, very low elevation, long acuminate glumes, and bent awns.
Small-leaf bent grass is a California native annual grass found in northern coastal, southern coastal, Central Valley, central coastal, and southern coastal regions in thin, rocky soils, cliffs, vernal pools, and occasionally on serpentine at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate, pale green to whitish flowers in compact, cylindrical clusters 2 to 12 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 8 to 45 centimeters tall, it forms fine, sparse clumps with ascending branches. Its narrow leaves are 3 to 15 centimeters long, approximately 0.7 to 2.5 millimeters wide, with fine-textured surfaces that become inrolled as they dry. The grass produces distinctive spikelets with glumes 2.5 to 5 millimeters long and delicate awns 3.5 to 8 millimeters long that are slightly bent.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species; key features are annual habit, very low elevation, long acuminate glumes, and bent awns
Habitat and range
Habitat: Thin, rocky soils, cliffs, vernal pools, occasionally on serpentine
Elevation: < 200 m
California counties: Butte, Calaveras, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Lassen, Mariposa, San Mateo, Tuolumne, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Marin, San Diego, Mendocino, Los Angeles, Amador, Santa Cruz, Tehama, Placer, Merced, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Yuba
Outside California: to British Columbia, Baja California
Bloom period
Agrostis microphylla blooms May-Jul.
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 microphylla native to California?
Yes. Agrostis microphylla is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Agrostis microphylla bloom?
Agrostis microphylla blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Agrostis microphylla grow?
Agrostis microphylla occurs in Butte, Calaveras, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Shasta and other counties, at elevations of < 200 m.
What plant family does Agrostis microphylla belong to?
Agrostis microphylla is in the Poaceae family, genus Agrostis.
What habitat does Agrostis microphylla grow in?
Agrostis microphylla grows in Thin, rocky soils, cliffs, vernal pools, occasionally on serpentine.
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.