Pleuropogon californicus var. californicus
Annual semaphoregrass
Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Native
Annual semaphoregrass is a California native annual found in northwestern California, the northern Sierra Nevada foothills, central western California, and the Great Valley in wet places, vernal pools, and wet grasslands at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from March to June, this grass produces delicate spikes with spikelets 10 to 30 millimeters long, featuring distinctive lemma awns that extend 5 to 11 millimeters. Growing in slender, delicate clusters with fine, flexible stems, it spreads in loose, open formations across wet meadow environments. Its narrow leaves are typically pale green, emerging from the base in thin, graceful strands. The grass produces small spikelets with subtle palea appendages measuring 0.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, adding to its delicate botanical character.
Habitat: Wet places, vernal pools, wet grassland
Bloom period: Mar-Jun
Elevation: < 650 m
Bioregions: NW, CaRF, n&c SNF, GV, CW (exc SCoRI).
California counties: Sonoma, Sacramento, Marin, Solano, Napa, Lake, San Mateo, Alameda, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, Mendocino, Amador, Yolo, San Joaquin
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.