Bouteloua barbata var. barbata

Sixweeks grama

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Sixweeks grama is a California native annual grass found in the San Joaquin Valley, eastern San Diego coastal area, eastern Peninsular Ranges, and desert regions in open sandy to rocky slopes, scrublands, and woodlands at elevations below 1,800 meters. Flowering throughout the year, this plant produces delicate pale green to tan spikelets in spreading branches 6 to 25 millimeters long. Growing prostrate to erect with stems 3 to 30 centimeters tall, it spreads across the landscape with flexible, thin stems. Its narrow leaf blades measure less than 6 centimeters long and are typically less than 2 millimeters wide, creating a fine, wispy appearance. The grass produces distinctive spikelets with 2 to 3 florets, featuring small awns 0.5 to 3 millimeters long that give the plant a delicate, feathery texture.

Habitat: Generally open, sandy to rocky slopes, flats, washes, roadsides, disturbed sites, scrub, woodland, pine forest

Bloom period: All year

Elevation: < 1800 m

Bioregions: SnJV, e SCo, e PR, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Inyo, San Diego, Fresno

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