Stipa comata var. intermedia

Intermediate needle & thread grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Intermediate needle & thread grass is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in pinyon and juniper woodland at elevations of 1,350 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from May to August, this grass produces pale tan to silvery flowers with dramatic needle-like awns up to 13 centimeters long. Growing with upright stems that have exposed lower nodes, it forms dense clumps 30 to 60 centimeters tall with distinctive feathery seed heads. Its narrow leaves are thin and elongated, typically green to grayish-green, emerging from the base of the plant in a clustered arrangement. The seeds are characterized by extremely long, straight awns that create a delicate, thread-like appearance when mature.

Habitat: Pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1350-3100 m

Bioregions: n SNH

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