Stipa occidentalis var. californica

California needle grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California needle grass is a native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, and Great Basin in sagebrush scrub and conifer forest at elevations of 150 to 3,450 meters. Flowering from May to August, this grass produces green-tinted spikelets with delicate, curved awns 18 to 55 millimeters long. Growing 3 to 10 decimeters tall with slender stems 0.5 to 2 millimeters in diameter, it forms dense tufts with variable stem hairiness. Its leaf blades are narrow, measuring 0.8 to 2 millimeters wide, with sheaths ranging from smooth to densely hairy. The distinctive needle-like awns feature hairs longer at the tip than at the base, creating an elegant, wispy appearance characteristic of native California bunchgrasses.

Habitat: Sagebrush scrub, conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 150-3450 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, SN, SnBr, PR, GB

California counties: Tulare, Los Angeles, Placer, El Dorado, Sierra, San Bernardino, Nevada, Glenn, Plumas, Butte, Tehama, Trinity, Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou, Mono, Mariposa, Shasta, San Diego, Alpine, Lassen

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