Stipa pulchra
Purple needle grass
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Stipa pulchra (Purple needle grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by large open inflorescence and very long awns diagnostic.
Purple needle grass is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, northern and central Sierra Nevada foothills, Sacramento Valley, central western California, southern coastal California, Channel Islands, western Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in oak woodland, chaparral, and grassland habitats at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering from March to June, this grass produces delicate pale purple to greenish flowers in open, graceful inflorescences 18 to 60 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems 35 to 100 centimeters tall and 1 to 3.1 millimeters in diameter, it forms elegant bunches with distinctive characteristics. Its leaf blades are 10 to 20 centimeters long, 0.8 to 4.9 millimeters wide, and can be flat or have slightly inrolled margins. The plant is especially notable for its long, persistent awn measuring 38 to 100 millimeters, which gives it a distinctive feathery appearance and its common name.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 26 sympatric species; large open inflorescence and very long awns diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Oak woodland, chaparral, grassland
Elevation: < 1700 m
California counties: Humboldt, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Kern, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Ventura, Yolo, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Solano, Fresno, Placer, Monterey, Colusa, Contra Costa, Mendocino, Marin, Tehama, Napa, Lake, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Butte, Amador, Sutter, San Benito, Glenn, Yuba, Sacramento, El Dorado
Outside California: Baja California
Bloom period
Stipa pulchra blooms Mar-Jun.
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 pulchra native to California?
Yes. Stipa pulchra is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Stipa pulchra bloom?
Stipa pulchra blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Stipa pulchra grow?
Stipa pulchra occurs in Humboldt, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Kern, Santa Barbara, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of < 1700 m.
What plant family does Stipa pulchra belong to?
Stipa pulchra is in the Poaceae family, genus Stipa.
What habitat does Stipa pulchra grow in?
Stipa pulchra grows in Oak woodland, chaparral, grassland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.