Anthoxanthum aristatum subsp. aristatum

Annual vernal grass, Annual Vernal Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Annual vernal grass is a naturalized annual grass found in northwestern California, central Coast Ranges, and San Francisco Bay Area in moist to dry disturbed sites at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from May to June, this grass produces pale green to yellow-green flower clusters in compact spikes 1 to 4 centimeters long. Growing with stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall that are often bent at the base, it has a delicate, spreading form. Its leaves are soft and hairy, with blades 1 to 6 centimeters long and 1 to 5 millimeters wide, featuring distinctive ciliate edges and small auricles near the leaf base. The grass produces spikelets with brown-based hairs and awns 3 to 10 millimeters long, giving it a soft, feathery appearance.

Habitat: Moist to dry disturbed sites

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: NW, CCo, SnFrB

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