Stipa mauritanica
Mauritanian grass
(c) Mehdi Chetibi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Stipa mauritanica (Mauritanian grass) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by multi-flowered spikelets and serrate leaf margins.
Mauritanian grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in northern coastal California ranges in mixed-evergreen forest at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to November, this grass produces pale green to tan inflorescences up to 50 centimeters long in open, spreading clusters. Growing with tall stems 60 to 350 centimeters high, it has smooth, slightly grooved leaf sheaths. Its leaf blades measure up to 100 centimeters long and 3 to 9 millimeters wide, with finely serrated margins. The spikelets contain 2 to 6 florets, with delicate lanceolate glumes and hairy lemmas.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; multi-flowered spikelets and serrate leaf margins are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Mixed-evergreen forest
Elevation: < 1000 m
Outside California: native to southern Europe, northern Africa, western Asia
Bloom period
Stipa mauritanica blooms May-Nov.
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 mauritanica native to California?
No. Stipa mauritanica is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Stipa mauritanica bloom?
Stipa mauritanica blooms May-Nov.
What plant family does Stipa mauritanica belong to?
Stipa mauritanica is in the Poaceae family, genus Stipa.
What habitat does Stipa mauritanica grow in?
Stipa mauritanica grows in Mixed-evergreen forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.