Muhlenbergia utilis

Aparejo grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Aparejo grass is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in southern coastal ranges, southern California, and western Transverse Ranges in wet sites along streams and ponds at elevations of 250 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from October to March, this grass produces yellow to purple anthers in narrow inflorescences 1 to 5 centimeters long. Growing with decumbent stems 0.5 to 3 decimeters tall that often creep along the ground, it forms scaly rhizomes that spread horizontally. Its grass blades are narrow, 1 to 3.5 centimeters long and 0.6 to 1.2 millimeters wide, typically flat or slightly rolled. The plant features extremely short ligules of 0.3 to 0.8 millimeters that are truncate and extend down the leaf sheath.

Habitat: Wet sites along streams, ponds

Bloom period: Oct-Mar

Elevation: 250-1000 m

Bioregions: SCoRO, SCo, WTR

California counties: Kern, Ventura, Inyo, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Monterey, Santa Barbara

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