Stipa miliacea var. miliacea
Smilo grass
Family: Poaceae · Type: Perennial · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Stipa miliacea var. miliacea (Smilo grass) is a non-native California perennial in the Poaceae family, recognized by small florets and weakly bent short awns.
Smilo grass is a naturalized perennial grass found in coastal, valley, central western, and southern coastal California regions in salt marshes, dry washes, streambanks, chaparral, open woodland, and disturbed areas at elevations below 1,550 meters. Flowering from March to September, this grass produces pale green to light brown spikelets in open branching clusters 10 to 40 centimeters long. Growing with upright stems 40 to 150 centimeters tall, it has flat grass blades 5 to 30 centimeters long and 2 to 10 millimeters wide. Its leaf sheaths are smooth and glabrous, with narrow-ovate spikelets featuring short awns 3 to 4 millimeters long that are weakly bent. The grass has compressed florets with a blunt callus, adapting readily to various disturbed and open environments across California.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 12 sympatric species; small florets and weakly bent short awns are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Salt marshes, dry washes, streambanks, chaparral, open woodland, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 1550 m
California counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, Butte, Humboldt, Tehama, Napa, Contra Costa, San Benito, Alameda, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Monterey
Outside California: native to Europe, northern Africa, western Asia
Bloom period
Stipa miliacea var. miliacea blooms Mar-Sep.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
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 miliacea var. miliacea native to California?
No. Stipa miliacea var. miliacea is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Stipa miliacea var. miliacea bloom?
Stipa miliacea var. miliacea blooms Mar-Sep.
Where in California does Stipa miliacea var. miliacea grow?
Stipa miliacea var. miliacea occurs in San Diego, Los Angeles, Butte, Humboldt, Tehama, Napa, Contra Costa, San Benito and other counties, at elevations of < 1550 m.
What plant family does Stipa miliacea var. miliacea belong to?
Stipa miliacea var. miliacea is in the Poaceae family, genus Stipa.
Is Stipa miliacea var. miliacea invasive in California?
Stipa miliacea var. miliacea is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Stipa nelsonii var. dorei — Mountain needle grass
- Stipa nevadensis — Nevada needle grass
- Stipa occidentalis — Western needlegrass
- Stipa occidentalis var. californica — California needle grass
- Stipa occidentalis var. occidentalis — Western needle grass
- Stipa occidentalis var. pubescens — Common western needle grass
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.