Poa confinis

Beach blue grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Beach blue grass is a California native perennial found in the northern Coast Ranges in ocean beaches and stabilized dunes at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate grass produces tawny-colored spikelets in compact clusters 1 to 5 centimeters long. Growing with slender rhizomes or stolons, it forms tufted clumps 7 to 30 centimeters tall with fine, firm leaves. Its narrow leaves are 1 to 2 millimeters wide, folded or tightly rolled, with upper surfaces often finely hairy on sterile stems. The grass produces small spikelets with glabrous or slightly cobwebby bases, creating a soft, delicate appearance in coastal environments.

Habitat: Ocean beaches, stabilized dunes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: NCo

California counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, Marin, Del Norte, Mariposa

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