Chloris verticillata
Windmill grass, Windmill Grass
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Chloris verticillata (Windmill grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family.
Windmill grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in northern Sierra Nevada foothills, San Francisco Bay Area, and expected in other regions at elevations below 300 meters in disturbed areas. Flowering from July to October, this grass produces pale green to straw-colored spikelet clusters in 2 to 4 distinctive whorled branches up to 15 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms spreading clumps with distinctive digitate inflorescences. Its narrow leaves are less than 15 centimeters long and approximately 3 millimeters wide, with hairy ligules and glabrous leaf sheaths. The grass produces small spikelets 2 to 3.5 millimeters long with lanceolate glumes and fertile florets bearing awns 4 to 9 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated with no sympatric congeners
Habitat and range
Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed areas
Elevation: < 300 m
Outside California: native to southern Great Plains
Bloom period
Chloris verticillata blooms Jul-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Spinus: Unable to generate comparison - Spinus is not a grass genus.; vs Spartina: Windmill grass has multiple branches per node; cordgrass has single unbranched spikes.; vs Festuca: Windmill grass has radiating finger spikes; fescue has single elongated panicles.; vs Sclerochloa: Windmill grass has long radiating spikes; hardgrass is a tiny rigid tuft.; vs Leptochloa: Windmill grass has multiple branches per node; sprangletop has single branches per node.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chloris verticillata native to California?
No. Chloris verticillata is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Chloris verticillata bloom?
Chloris verticillata blooms Jul-Oct.
What plant family does Chloris verticillata belong to?
Chloris verticillata is in the Poaceae family, genus Chloris.
What habitat does Chloris verticillata grow in?
Chloris verticillata grows in Uncommon. Disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.