Polypogon imberbis

Streambank rabbits foot grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Streambank rabbits foot grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in the San Joaquin Valley, central Coast, and San Francisco Bay regions on sand dunes and salt marshes at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from June to September, this grass produces pale green to white flower clusters in dense, erect panicles 19 to 30 centimeters long. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 60 to 100 centimeters tall, it has a robust and spreading habit with multiple stems emerging from the base. Its leaves feature long, toothed ligules and narrow blades 5.5 to 11.5 centimeters long and approximately 1 centimeter wide. The spikelets have short bristly glumes with delicate awns 1 to 2.5 millimeters long, giving the inflorescence a soft, feathery appearance.

Habitat: Uncommon. Sand dunes, salt marshes

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: SnJV, CCo, SnFrB

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