Eragrostis cilianensis
Stink grass
(c) Kevin Faccenda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kevin Faccenda · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Eragrostis cilianensis (Stink grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by leaf margin glands and compact gray-green inflorescence.
Stink grass is a naturalized annual grass found in California in disturbed soils at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from June to October, this grass produces pale gray-green spikelets in compact clusters up to 20 centimeters wide. Growing with spreading or occasionally decumbent stems up to 60 centimeters tall, it has distinctive glandular characteristics, with small glands present below leaf nodes. Its leaves are flat or slightly rolled, 10 to 20 centimeters long with margins featuring distinctive wart-like glands, and its leaf sheaths are long-hairy near the collar. The tiny spikelets measure 2.5 to 3 millimeters wide with multiple florets, each lemma approximately 2 to 2.5 millimeters long with prominent lateral veins.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 11 sympatric species; key features are leaf margin glands and compact gray-green inflorescence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed soils
Elevation: < 2000 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Imperial, Humboldt, Fresno, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Butte, Santa Clara, Orange, Yolo, Inyo, Lake, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama, Tulare, Solano, El Dorado, Lassen, Mendocino, Monterey, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Trinity, Marin, Napa, Contra Costa, Colusa, Tuolumne, Mono, Santa Cruz, Glenn, Merced, Stanislaus, Madera, Mariposa
Outside California: to eastern United States, native to Europe
Bloom period
Eragrostis cilianensis blooms Jun-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Poa: Eragrostis spikelets are many-flowered and laterally flattened with 3-veined lemmas and no cobwebby tuft at the floret base; Poa lemmas are 5-veined, keeled and boat-tipped, often with webby hairs at the base.; vs Bromus: Eragrostis lemmas are small and awnless with 3 prominent veins; Bromus lemmas are larger, many-veined, and usually bear an awn from a notched tip.; vs Sporobolus: Eragrostis spikelets carry several florets each; Sporobolus spikelets hold a single floret and the ripe seed often falls free or swells with mucilage.; vs Muhlenbergia: Eragrostis spikelets are many-flowered and awnless in an open panicle; Muhlenbergia spikelets are 1-flowered and the lemma is commonly awn-tipped.; vs Leptochloa: Eragrostis carries spikelets in an open, spreading panicle; Leptochloa arranges them along slender, one-sided spike-like branches.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eragrostis cilianensis native to California?
No. Eragrostis cilianensis is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Eragrostis cilianensis bloom?
Eragrostis cilianensis blooms Jun-Oct.
Where in California does Eragrostis cilianensis grow?
Eragrostis cilianensis occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Imperial, Humboldt and other counties, at elevations of < 2000 m.
What plant family does Eragrostis cilianensis belong to?
Eragrostis cilianensis is in the Poaceae family, genus Eragrostis.
What habitat does Eragrostis cilianensis grow in?
Eragrostis cilianensis grows in Disturbed soils.
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.