Stipa coronata
Crested needle grass
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Stipa coronata (Crested needle grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by large size and broad leaves.
Crested needle grass is a California native perennial found in southern California coastal regions, the Channel Islands, western Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in rocky or gravelly slopes of chaparral and coastal sage scrub at elevations up to 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate, pale straw-colored flowers in dense clusters with distinctive elongated needle-like awns. Growing with robust stems 55 to 210 centimeters tall and 3 to 6 millimeters in diameter, it forms dense, upright clumps with characteristic grasslike architecture. Its leaf blades are 2.5 to 7 millimeters wide, generally flat, with proximal sheaths mostly smooth and unadorned. The plant's most distinctive feature is its long, bent awns measuring 25 to 45 millimeters, which persist after flowering and give the grass its dramatic, feathery appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species; large size and broad leaves help distinguish
Habitat and range
Habitat: Generally rocky or gravelly slopes, in chaparral, coastal-sage scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland
Elevation: < 1500(2300) m
California counties: San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Imperial, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, Inyo, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Benito
Outside California: Baja California
Bloom period
Stipa coronata blooms Apr-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 coronata native to California?
Yes. Stipa coronata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Stipa coronata bloom?
Stipa coronata blooms Apr-Jul.
Where in California does Stipa coronata grow?
Stipa coronata occurs in San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Imperial, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, Inyo and other counties, at elevations of < 1500(2300) m.
What plant family does Stipa coronata belong to?
Stipa coronata is in the Poaceae family, genus Stipa.
What habitat does Stipa coronata grow in?
Stipa coronata grows in Generally rocky or gravelly slopes, in chaparral, coastal-sage scrub, pinyon/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.