Poa fendleriana subsp. longiligula

Long-tongue mutton grass, Long-Tongue Mutton Grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Long-tongue mutton grass is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and Desert Mountains on slopes from sagebrush scrub to subalpine areas at elevations of 2,000 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from April to July, this grass produces delicate pale green to whitish flower clusters with soft, hairy lemmas. Growing in loose tufts 30 to 60 centimeters tall with slender, upright stems, it forms distinctive grass clumps in alpine and mountain landscapes. Its leaves feature notably long ligules measuring 1.5 to 18 millimeters, with flat blades 1.5 to 4 millimeters wide and smooth margins. The plant's lemmas are characterized by distinctive hairy keels and marginal veins, giving it a soft, textured appearance.

Habitat: Slopes, sagebrush scrub to subalpine

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 2000-3200 m

Bioregions: SNH, SnBr, PR, GB, DMtns

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