Stipa latiglumis

Wide-glumed needle grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Wide-glumed needle grass is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Range on dry slopes in conifer forest at elevations of 1,100 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from June to August, this grass produces delicate tan to light brown spikelets with long, gracefully bent awns up to 45 millimeters long. Growing with stems 50 to 110 centimeters tall, it develops dense, compact inflorescences 15 to 30 centimeters in length. Its leaf blades are narrow, measuring just 0.7 to 3 millimeters wide, with proximal sheaths typically covered in soft hairs. The distinctive awn is bent twice and persistently attached, with dense hairs along its lower portion and slightly rough surfaces toward the tip.

Habitat: dry slopes in conifer forest

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1100-2200 m

Bioregions: c&amps SN, TR.

California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Mariposa, Mono, Riverside, Tulare

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