Cynosurus echinatus
Bristly dogtail grass, Bristly Dogtail Grass
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Cynosurus echinatus (Bristly dogtail grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by . Key differences: leaf blade width, inflorescence length, axis shape, elevation range.
Bristly dogtail grass is a naturalized annual grass found in northwestern California, Sierra Nevada foothills, central and northern Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley, central western, and southwestern California in open, disturbed sites at elevations generally below 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to July, this grass produces small pale green to whitish flowers in dense, one-sided inflorescences about 1 to 4 centimeters long. Growing in tufted clusters with erect or spreading stems 10 to 70 centimeters tall, it forms dense grass clumps with smooth, glabrous stems. Its leaf blades are 2 to 14 millimeters wide, with leaf ligules 2.5 to 5 millimeters long and bluntly rounded. The fertile spikelets feature distinctive glumes 6 to 12 millimeters long with prominent awns, while sterile spikelets have keeled, ciliate glumes with 6 to 18 florets.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species. Key differences: leaf blade width, inflorescence length, axis shape, elevation range
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, disturbed sites
Elevation: generally < 1000 m
California counties: Humboldt, Butte, El Dorado, Marin, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Sonoma, Yuba, Santa Clara, Madera, Riverside, Calaveras, Napa, Nevada, Amador, San Mateo, San Benito, Placer, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Siskiyou, San Luis Obispo, Sacramento, Plumas, Monterey, Fresno, Mariposa, Sutter, Solano, Shasta, Lake, Sierra, Del Norte, Yolo, Colusa
Outside California: to Washington, eastern North America, native to southern Europe
Bloom period
Cynosurus echinatus blooms May-Jul.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
How to tell it apart
vs Phleum: Cynosurus has a one-sided, flattened, spike-like panicle with comb-like sterile spikelets; Phleum (timothy) has a dense cylindrical, all-around spike of single-flowered spikelets.; vs Dactylis: Cynosurus spikelets sit in a compact one-sided head with sterile bracteal combs; Dactylis (orchardgrass) has spikelets in dense one-sided clusters at the tips of stiff spreading branches.; vs Lamarckia: Cynosurus head is greenish and firm with mixed fertile and sterile spikelets; Lamarckia (goldentop) head is soft, silky, and golden, drooping to one side.; vs Lolium: Cynosurus florets are in a one-sided spike-like panicle with comb-like sterile spikelets; Lolium (ryegrass) sets spikelets edgewise, alternating along a true two-sided spike.; vs Briza: Cynosurus has a dense one-sided oblong head; Briza (quaking grass) has open panicles of nodding, plump, heart-shaped spikelets on thread-like stalks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cynosurus echinatus native to California?
No. Cynosurus echinatus is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Cynosurus echinatus bloom?
Cynosurus echinatus blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Cynosurus echinatus grow?
Cynosurus echinatus occurs in Humboldt, Butte, El Dorado, Marin, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Cruz and other counties, at elevations of generally < 1000 m.
What plant family does Cynosurus echinatus belong to?
Cynosurus echinatus is in the Poaceae family, genus Cynosurus.
Is Cynosurus echinatus invasive in California?
Cynosurus echinatus is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.