Stipa exigua

Little rice grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Little rice grass is a native perennial grass found in the northeastern California High Desert and Modoc Plateau in rocky sagebrush scrub slopes at elevations of 1,800 to 2,400 meters. Flowering in June, this delicate grass produces pale, subtle flowers in dense, compact clusters. Growing with slender stems 12 to 40 centimeters tall, it features narrow leaves that are typically folded and less than 1.5 millimeters wide. Its leaves are predominantly glabrous, with sheaths that occasionally become slightly rough toward the tips. The grass produces distinctive lemmas with short, bent awns that persist after the flowering period, giving the plant a subtle, textured appearance.

Habitat: Rocky slopes in sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: 1800-2400 m

Bioregions: CaRH, MP

California counties: Lassen, Sierra

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