Sclerochloa dura
Hardgrass, fairground grass, Fairground Grass
(c) Sarka Masova, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Sclerochloa dura (Hardgrass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by Sclerochloa is primarily a Eurasian genus with this species representing its only presence in California.
Hardgrass is a naturalized annual grass found in western California Ranges and Cascades, specifically in the Shasta Valley, on disturbed sites at elevations of 700 to 800 meters. Flowering in May, this plant produces small, dense clusters of spikelets with overlapping florets. Growing with compact stems 2 to 15 centimeters tall, it forms low, tight clumps in open ground. Its leaf blades are narrow, reaching 1 to 4 millimeters wide with distinctive prow-shaped tips, extending 0.5 to 5 centimeters in length. The spikelets are tightly packed, measuring 5 to 15 millimeters long with 3 to 4 florets per spikelet.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Sclerochloa is primarily a Eurasian genus with this species representing its only presence in California
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed sites
Elevation: 700-800 m
Outside California: widespread in United States, nearly cosmopolitan, native from south-central Europe to central Asia
Bloom period
Sclerochloa dura blooms May.
How to tell it apart
vs Spartina: Hardgrass is a tiny rigid annual in disturbed sites; Spartina is a tall perennial of salt marshes.; vs Festuca: Count upper glume veins: hardgrass has seven, fescue has three.; vs Leptochloa: Hardgrass has dense, rigid habit; sprangletop has loose, feathery branching flower spikes.; vs Echinochloa: Hardgrass is tiny and rigid with seven-veined upper glume; barnyard grass is robust with awned lemmas.; vs Bouteloua: Hardgrass has tiny, dense tufts; grama has distinctive one-sided finger-like spikes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sclerochloa dura native to California?
No. Sclerochloa dura is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Sclerochloa dura bloom?
Sclerochloa dura blooms May.
What plant family does Sclerochloa dura belong to?
Sclerochloa dura is in the Poaceae family, genus Sclerochloa.
What habitat does Sclerochloa dura grow in?
Sclerochloa dura grows in Disturbed sites.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.