Stipa cernua
Nodding needle grass
(c) Sula Vanderplank, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Stipa cernua (Nodding needle grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by inflorescence openness and size.
Nodding needle grass is a native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges, California Floristic Region, northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Tehachapi, Great Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, and southwestern California in grasslands, chaparral, and juniper woodland at elevations of 5 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from February to July, this grass produces delicate, nodding pale green to tan flower heads with distinctive long, twisted awns. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with slender stems between 1 to 3 millimeters in diameter, it forms loose, open clusters of fine, thread-like stems. Its narrow leaves are 3 to 26 centimeters long and less than 1.2 millimeters wide, typically flat or slightly rolled. The plant's most distinctive feature is its remarkably long, bent awn measuring 50 to 106 millimeters, which twists and waves gracefully in the wind.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 25 sympatric species; inflorescence openness and size help distinguish
Habitat and range
Habitat: Grassland, chaparral, juniper woodland
Elevation: 5-1700 m
Outside California: northwestern Baja California
Bloom period
Stipa cernua blooms Feb-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Nassella: Nassella has feathery plumose awns; Stipa awns are scabrous (rough) not plumose.; vs Oloptum: Oloptum has twice-bent awns with dense crown; Stipa has once-bent awns.; vs Eriocoma: Eriocoma has densely hairy lemmas; Stipa lemmas are smooth to scabrous.; vs Pappostipa: Pappostipa has plumose awns; Stipa awns are rough but not feathery.; vs Bromus: Bromus has multiple-flowered spikelets; Stipa has single-flowered spikelets with bent awns.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stipa cernua native to California?
Yes. Stipa cernua is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Stipa cernua bloom?
Stipa cernua blooms Feb-Jul.
What plant family does Stipa cernua belong to?
Stipa cernua is in the Poaceae family, genus Stipa.
What habitat does Stipa cernua grow in?
Stipa cernua grows in Grassland, chaparral, juniper woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.