Poa fendleriana

Muttongrass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Muttongrass is a California native perennial grass found in various mountain and foothill regions across the state, growing in diverse habitats from 1,500 to 3,000 meters elevation. Flowering during the summer months from June to August, this grass produces small, dense inflorescences that are lanceolate to ovate, typically 2 to 12 centimeters long. Growing in dense, tufted clumps with short rhizomes and reaching 15 to 70 centimeters tall, it forms compact bunches with firm, narrow leaves. Its leaves are typically 1 to 4 millimeters wide, folded or rolled inward, with the upper stem leaves often reduced to vestigial blades. The grass is characterized by its fine, hairy leaf surfaces and delicate, smooth to slightly rough branches in its compact seed clusters.

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Diego, Tulare, Kern, Tehama, Del Norte, Los Angeles, San Benito, Lassen, Mendocino, Sierra, Nevada, Alpine, Orange, Placer

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