Pennisetum villosum

Feathertop

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Feathertop is a naturalized perennial grass found in southern California, San Francisco Bay Area, south coastal ranges, southwestern California, and desert regions at elevations below 200 meters in disturbed areas. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white to light brown feathery panicle-like inflorescences 2 to 10 centimeters long with delicate bristles up to 5 centimeters long. Growing in dense clumps from elongated rhizomes, it reaches 1.6 to 7.5 decimeters tall with erect stems. Its leaf blades are 5 to 40 centimeters long, 2 to 4.5 millimeters wide, and can be flat or slightly folded with surfaces ranging from glabrous to hairy. The spikelet is 9 to 12 millimeters long, with green to white coloration and distinctive plumose bristles that give the plant its characteristic feathery appearance.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: SN, SnFrB, SCoR, SW, DSon

California counties: Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Ventura, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, El Dorado, Contra Costa, Tuolumne, Monterey

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