Stipa kingii

King's rice grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

King's rice grass is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in damp streambanks and meadows at elevations of 2,000 to 3,650 meters. Flowering from July to September, this grass produces delicate, narrow spikelets with pale, narrowly ovate glumes. Growing with slender stems 15 to 38 centimeters tall, it features thread-like leaves less than 0.3 millimeters wide that appear wavy or curled. Its distinctive leaves are extremely fine, creating a soft, delicate appearance in alpine meadow environments. The grass produces an awn 10 to 14 millimeters long that is subtly curved and persistent, adding visual texture to its delicate form.

Habitat: Damp streambanks and meadows

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 2000-3650 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH.

California counties: Mono, Mariposa, Fresno, Tulare, Tuolumne

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