Alopecurus pratensis

Meadow foxtail

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Meadow foxtail is a naturalized perennial grass found in northern California coastal regions, northern California interior ranges, high Cascade Range, northern and central Sierra Nevada, central coastal California, southern coastal California, southwestern California, and Modoc Plateau in open, damp meadows at elevations of 20 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from May to June, this grass produces soft, cylindrical green-white flower clusters (foxtail-like spikes) 3.5 to 7.5 centimeters long. Growing with erect stems 48 to 77 centimeters tall, it spreads in dense, lush clumps with characteristic grass-like growth. Its leaf blades are narrow, measuring 2.5 to 16 centimeters long and 2 to 6 millimeters wide, with a short ligule 1.5 to 3 millimeters in length. The distinctive flower spikes feature lemmas with bent awns that extend 2 to 5.5 millimeters beyond the lemma body.

Habitat: Open, damp meadows

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 20-2400 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoR, CaRH, n SN, c SNH, CCo, SCoR, SW (exc ChI), MP

California counties: San Francisco, Colusa, Humboldt, Butte, Lassen, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Modoc, Orange, El Dorado, Sierra, Shasta, Nevada, Mariposa, Marin, Lake, Sonoma, Amador, Alameda, Siskiyou, Tehama, San Benito, Napa, Mendocino, Trinity, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, San Mateo, Placer, Yolo, Plumas, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Inyo, Sacramento

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.