Panicum acuminatum
Western panicgrass
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Family: Poaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Panicum acuminatum (Western panicgrass) is a native California perennial in the Poaceae family.
Western panicgrass is a California native perennial grass found in grassland and woodland habitats. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces small pale green to green-brown spikelets less than 1 millimeter wide. Growing with slender stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall, it has distinctive hair-fringed ligules 2 to 4 millimeters long at the base of its leaf sheaths. Its leaves have sheaths 2 to 7 centimeters long with delicate hair-like ligules at their margins. The plant's inflorescence features primary branches 2 to 4 centimeters long, with spikelets arranged singly at each node.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated from all other Panicum species
Habitat and range
California counties: El Dorado, Los Angeles, Butte, Yuba, Shasta, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Orange, Riverside, Sonoma, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Mariposa, Plumas, Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Amador, Sacramento, Tehama, Santa Cruz
How to tell it apart
vs Deschampsia: Panicum has thick rigid lemmas and well-developed lower glumes; hairgrass has thin awned florets and tiny glumes.; vs Dichanthelium: Panicum has a single flowering period; rosette grass produces two distinct flower types (spring and summer).; vs Hilaria: Panicum has single spikelets on branches; curly mesquite has spikelets in clusters of three along a spike.; vs Sorghum: Panicum has single spikelets throughout panicle; sorghum has three-spikelet groups at branch tips.; vs Echinochloa: Panicum has a membranous ligule and panicle; barnyard grass lacks a ligule and has bristly branches.
Frequently asked questions
Is Panicum acuminatum native to California?
Yes. Panicum acuminatum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Panicum acuminatum grow?
Panicum acuminatum occurs in El Dorado, Los Angeles, Butte, Yuba, Shasta, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Orange and other counties.
What plant family does Panicum acuminatum belong to?
Panicum acuminatum is in the Poaceae family, genus Panicum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum — Pacific panic grass
- Panicum acuminatum var. lindheimeri — Lindheimer panicgrass
- Panicum acuminatum var. thermale — Geysers panicum
- Panicum antidotale — Blue panic grass
- Panicum capillare — Witch grass
- Panicum dichotomiflorum subsp. dichotomiflorum — Fall panic grass
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.