Agrostis tandilensis
Kennedy's bent grass
(c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Agrostis tandilensis (Kennedy's bent grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by unique 4-toothed lemma tips and single reduced anther.
Kennedy's bent grass is a naturalized annual grass found in deltaic Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley and southern California coastal regions, particularly in vernal pools at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to May, this grass produces delicate, pale green to white spikelets in compact, cylindrical clusters 2 to 5 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 9 to 21 centimeters tall, it has fine, flat leaf blades that become inrolled as they mature. Its leaves feature short ligules 2 to 2.5 millimeters long, with proximal blades measuring 2 to 5 centimeters and less than 1 millimeter wide. The spikelets have distinctive bent awns less than 6 millimeters long, with lemma tips featuring four teeth, two shorter than 1 millimeter and two slightly longer.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species; key features are unique 4-toothed lemma tips and single reduced anther
Habitat and range
Habitat: Vernal pools
Elevation: < 100 m
Outside California: native to Argentina
Bloom period
Agrostis tandilensis blooms Apr-May.
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 tandilensis native to California?
No. Agrostis tandilensis is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Agrostis tandilensis bloom?
Agrostis tandilensis blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Agrostis tandilensis belong to?
Agrostis tandilensis is in the Poaceae family, genus Agrostis.
What habitat does Agrostis tandilensis grow in?
Agrostis tandilensis grows in Vernal pools.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Agrostis variabilis — Mountain bent grass
- Agrostis avenacea — Pacific bent grass
- Agrostis blasdalei — Blasdale's bent grass
- Agrostis capillaris — Colonial bent
- Agrostis densiflora — California bent grass
- Agrostis elliottiana — Sierra bent grass
- Aira caryophyllea — Silver hair grass
- Aira elegans — Elegant hair grass
- Aira praecox — Early hair grass
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.