Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum
Pacific panic grass
Photo: parent species Panicum acuminatum · (c) aarongunnar, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum (Pacific panic grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by perennial habit and soft-hairy stems with papillate-based hairs.
Pacific panic grass is a California native perennial found in the Central California Foothills, Sierra Nevada East, and Desert Mountains in moist places, wet meadows, seeps, and streambanks at elevations below 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to November, this plant produces delicate grass-like flowers in compact clusters 5 to 8 centimeters long. Growing with soft-hairy stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall that have papillate-based hairs, it forms dense grass-like clumps. Its leaf blades are 5 to 10 centimeters long, 5 to 12 millimeters wide, with a soft puberulent underside that gives the grass a slightly fuzzy appearance. The small spikelet flowers are 1.5 to 2 millimeters long, with an obovate to elliptic shape.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 11 sympatric species; key features are perennial habit and soft-hairy stems with papillate-based hairs
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist places, wet meadows, seeps, streambanks
Elevation: < 2600 m
California counties: San Diego, Butte, Yuba, Shasta, Sonoma, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Plumas, Del Norte, Trinity, Mendocino, Inyo, Lake, Los Angeles, Monterey, Amador, Placer, Calaveras, Marin, Merced, Nevada, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Napa, Mariposa, Sierra, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Kern, San Bernardino
Bloom period
Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum blooms May-Nov.
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 var. fasciculatum native to California?
Yes. Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum bloom?
Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum blooms May-Nov.
Where in California does Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum grow?
Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum occurs in San Diego, Butte, Yuba, Shasta, Sonoma, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Humboldt and other counties, at elevations of < 2600 m.
What plant family does Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum belong to?
Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum is in the Poaceae family, genus Panicum.
What habitat does Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum grow in?
Panicum acuminatum var. fasciculatum grows in Moist places, wet meadows, seeps, streambanks.
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.