Panicum hirticaule subsp. hirticaule

Roughstalk witch grass, Roughstalk Witch Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Roughstalk witch grass is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native annual grass found in the southern desert bioregion in sandy soils and creosote-bush scrub at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from August to December, this grass produces green spikelets about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long in open branching clusters. Growing with slender stems 10 to 80 centimeters tall, it develops leaves with sparse short hairs on the upper surface and blades 7 to 20 centimeters long. Its leaf sheaths are 2 to 6 centimeters long with a tiny ciliate membrane ligule less than 2 millimeters wide. The spikelets have distinctive features including a lower glume with 5 veins and asymmetrical florets with crescent-shaped scars.

Habitat: Sandy soils, open sites, creosote-bush scrub

Bloom period: Aug-Dec

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: D

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial

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