Eragrostis mexicana subsp. mexicana

Mexican love grass, Mexican Love Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Mexican love grass is a California native annual grass found in the San Joaquin Valley, southern California coastal areas, western Transverse Ranges, and San Bernardino Mountains in disturbed soils, fields, and forest margins at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from May to September, this delicate grass produces small open panicles with branches often bearing scattered glands. Growing with fine, wispy stems that spread and arch gracefully, it forms loose, open clumps typically 30 to 60 centimeters tall. Its narrow leaves are pale green, thin, and flexible, contributing to the grass's soft, airy appearance. The spikelets are noticeably wide, measuring over 1.5 millimeters, with an ovate to oblong shape that distinguishes this delicate love grass.

Habitat: Disturbed soils in fields, forest margins, disturbed areas

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: SnJV, SCo, WTR, SnBr

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