Eriochloa aristata var. aristata

Awned cup grass, Awned Cup Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Awned cup grass is a naturalized perennial found in seasonal streams and riverbanks of the southern Desert region in Imperial County at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from June to November, this grass produces light-colored spikelets with distinctive awns 1 to 3 millimeters long. Growing with stems 40 to 100 centimeters tall, it develops nodes spaced along its length and forms dense clumps in wet habitats. Its leaves are elongated, 6 to 20 centimeters long and 6 to 20 millimeters wide, with smooth surfaces and glabrous sheaths. The plant's spikelets are compact, measuring 4 to 7 millimeters in length and approximately 1 to 1.5 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Seasonal streams, riverbanks

Bloom period: Jun-Nov

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: DSon (Imperial Co.)

California counties: Imperial, Riverside, Tehama

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