Agrostis variabilis
Mountain bent grass, Mountain Bent Grass
(c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Agrostis variabilis (Mountain bent grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by very high elevation, small dense cylindric inflorescence, narrow folded leaves.
Mountain bent grass is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Warner Mountains in meadows, subalpine forest, and alpine talus at elevations of 1,600 to 4,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this grass produces delicate, pale green to whitish flower clusters in compact, cylindrical panicles about 2.5 to 6 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 4 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms small tufts with occasional short rhizomes. Its leaves are mostly basal, with narrow blades 3 to 7 centimeters long and less than 1 millimeter wide, typically flat but becoming folded. The tiny spikelets have minute glumes and lack an awn, creating a subtle, fine-textured appearance in high-elevation mountain habitats.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 13 sympatric species; key features are very high elevation, small dense cylindric inflorescence, narrow folded leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Meadows, subalpine forest, talus, alpine
Elevation: 1600-4000 m
California counties: Butte, Calaveras, Fresno, Humboldt, Inyo, Mono, Plumas, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Nevada, Tehama, El Dorado, Amador, Modoc, Sierra, San Mateo, Placer, Mariposa, Lassen, Alpine, Glenn, Madera, Shasta, Mendocino, Colusa, Lake, Del Norte, Alameda
Outside California: to British Columbia, western Canada, Colorado, New Mexico
Bloom period
Agrostis variabilis blooms Jul-Aug.
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 variabilis native to California?
Yes. Agrostis variabilis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Agrostis variabilis bloom?
Agrostis variabilis blooms Jul-Aug.
Where in California does Agrostis variabilis grow?
Agrostis variabilis occurs in Butte, Calaveras, Fresno, Humboldt, Inyo, Mono, Plumas, Siskiyou and other counties, at elevations of 1600-4000 m.
What plant family does Agrostis variabilis belong to?
Agrostis variabilis is in the Poaceae family, genus Agrostis.
What habitat does Agrostis variabilis grow in?
Agrostis variabilis grows in Meadows, subalpine forest, talus, alpine.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- 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
- Agrostis exarata — Spike bent grass
- Aira caryophyllea — Silver hair grass
- Aira elegans — Elegant hair grass
- Aira praecox — Early hair grass
- Aira sp.
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.