Elymus elymoides var. elymoides

Squirrel tail grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Squirrel tail grass is a California native perennial found in San Francisco Bay, Transverse Ranges, San Jacinto Mountains, Great Basin, and Desert regions in desert shrubland, often in disturbed sites at elevations of 250 to 4,300 meters. Flowering from July to August, this grass produces distinctive spikes with awns that split into two or three divisions up to 8.5 centimeters long. Growing in dense tufts with slender stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall, it forms clumps in arid landscapes. Its narrow leaves are typically grayish-green, with long, bristle-like awns emerging from each spikelet that can extend up to 7.5 centimeters. The fertile florets produce elongated, twisted awns that give the plant its characteristic "squirrel tail" appearance.

Habitat: Desert shrubland, often in disturbed sites

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 250-4300 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, TR, SnJt, GB, D

California counties: Mono, San Bernardino, Lassen, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Napa, Modoc, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Tehama, Inyo, Madera, Los Angeles, Trinity, Lake, Amador, Tulare, Mendocino, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Yuba, Ventura, Mariposa

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