Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis
Bearded sprangletop, Bearded Sprangletop
Photo: parent species Leptochloa fusca · (c) Zihao Wang, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis (Bearded sprangletop) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by larger spikelets, whitish florets with dark spots, and awned lemmas.
Bearded sprangletop is a native annual grass found in the North Coast Ranges, Central Valley, Central Coast, Great Basin, and Desert regions in marshes, wetlands, and wet disturbed agricultural areas at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces approximately white flowers in branched clusters with spreading to ascending spikes 8 to 15 centimeters long. Growing with spreading to erect stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it develops distinctive leaf sheaths with ligules 5 to 7 millimeters long that become jagged with age. Its leaves have glabrous sheaths with ligules that become increasingly ragged over time. The grass produces spikelets 6 to 12 millimeters long with lanceolate glumes and lemmas that often feature a distinctive dark spot on their lower half.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; key features are larger spikelets, whitish florets with dark spots, and awned lemmas
Habitat and range
Habitat: Marshes, wetlands, often wet disturbed areas, often associated with agriculture
Elevation: < 1200 m
California counties: Fresno, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Kern, Yolo, Merced, Butte, San Bernardino, Alameda, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange, Inyo, Sonoma, Mendocino, Colusa, Contra Costa, Imperial, Kings, Madera, Solano, Stanislaus, Yuba, Monterey, Ventura, Tehama, Sutter, Glenn, Siskiyou, San Mateo, Tuolumne, Shasta, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Lassen, Lake, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
Outside California: to eastern United States, Mexico, South America
Bloom period
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis blooms Jun-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Diplachne: Leptochloa lemmas have three veins; Diplachne lemmas are prominently nerved with hairy margins.; vs Spartina: Sprangletop has multiple radiating branches; cordgrass has unbranched spike-like panicles.; vs Festuca: Sprangletop lemmas have three veins; fescue lemmas have five or more veins.; vs Sclerochloa: Sprangletop has loose, feathery branching spikes; hardgrass has dense, rigid tufted habit.; vs Echinochloa: Sprangletop has delicate three-veined lemmas; barnyard grass has coarse awned lemmas.
Frequently asked questions
Is Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis native to California?
Yes. Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis bloom?
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis blooms Jun-Oct.
Where in California does Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis grow?
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis occurs in Fresno, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Kern, Yolo, Merced, Butte, San Bernardino and other counties, at elevations of < 1200 m.
What plant family does Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis belong to?
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis is in the Poaceae family, genus Leptochloa.
What habitat does Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis grow in?
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis grows in Marshes, wetlands, often wet disturbed areas, often associated with agriculture.
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.