Poa diaboli

Diablo canyon blue grass, Diablo Canyon Blue Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Diablo canyon blue grass is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in southern Central Coast region of San Luis Obispo County in upper coastal scrub, live-oak woodland, and Bishop-pine forest at elevations of 120 to 400 meters. Flowering from March to April, this delicate grass produces pale green to green-white flowers in pyramidal inflorescences 4 to 8.5 centimeters long. Growing in loosely tufted mounds up to 30 centimeters across, it spreads through slender rhizomes or stolons with soft, flexible stems 25 to 50 centimeters tall. Its narrow leaves are 0.8 to 2 millimeters wide, soft and flat or slightly folded, with open leaf sheaths and small 1 to 3 millimeter ligules. The delicate grass forms compact, elegant clumps with fine, somewhat hairy leaf surfaces on sterile stems.

Habitat: Thin soils on Edna shale slopes, upper coastal scrub, live-oak woodland, Bishop-pine forest, near coast

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 120-400 m

Bioregions: s CCo (San Luis Obispo Co.).

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