Andropogon glomeratus var. scabriglumis

Southwestern bushy bluestem, Southwestern Bushy Bluestem

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Southwestern bushy bluestem is a California native perennial found in the Channel Islands, Transverse Ranges, Desert Mountains, and southern California coastal areas in moist, open, disturbed areas and seeps at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering from September to March, this plant produces pale tan to brownish plume-like inflorescences in compact clusters. Growing with sturdy stems 0.8 to 1.5 meters tall, it forms dense grass-like clumps with distinctive feathery flower heads. Its lower leaf blades are long and narrow, measuring 3 to 6 decimeters in length and 3.5 to 6 millimeters wide, with a characteristic bushy appearance. The plant's spikelet clusters feature short callus hairs and minimal awns, creating a soft, rounded texture in open grassland environments.

Habitat: Moist, open, disturbed areas, seeps

Bloom period: Sep-Mar

Elevation: < 600 m

Bioregions: ChI, TR, DMoj, naturalized NCo, NCoRO, n SNF, SNH, ScV, SCo

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Marin, Butte, Inyo, Sonoma, Solano, Monterey, Tehama

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