Stipa manicata

Andean tussock grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Andean tussock grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in northern California Coast, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, and central California Coast at elevations below 400 meters in moist meadows and disturbed areas. Flowering in June, this grass produces delicate, pale inflorescences 10 to 20 centimeters long with open, occasionally side-branching panicles. Growing with tall stems 4 to 15 decimeters high, it forms distinctive tussock-like clumps with robust, upright growth. Its leaf blades are narrow, 12 to 25 centimeters long and 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters wide, typically flat or slightly rolled at the margins. Its seed heads feature distinctive awns 30 to 50 millimeters long that are sharply bent twice and persist after maturity.

Habitat: Moist meadows, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: NCo, n SNF, CCo

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