Parapholis strigosa

Hairy sickle grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Hairy sickle grass is a naturalized annual grass found in northern California coastal areas, particularly near northern Humboldt Bay, in moist salt marsh habitats below the highest tide level at elevations below 5 meters. Flowering from April to June, this grass produces small, delicate inflorescences with spikelets 10 to 25 millimeters long. Growing with ascending to erect stems 12 to 45 centimeters tall that branch at lower nodes, it forms dense, flexible clumps in coastal environments. Its leaves are narrow, 1 to 3 millimeters wide and 1 to 10 centimeters long, typically flat and emerging from sheaths 2 to 6 centimeters in length. The plant's distinctive sickle-like grass form and ability to thrive in challenging salt marsh conditions make it a notable coastal species.

Habitat: Moist soils, generally salt marshes below highest tide level

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 5 m

Bioregions: NCo (esp n Humboldt Bay)

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