Stipa webberi
Webber's needle grass
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Stipa webberi (Webber's needle grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by compact size, very short inflorescence and deciduous short awns distinctive.
Webber's needle grass is a California native perennial found in the northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains, Modoc Plateau, and White and Inyo Mountains in dry, open flats and rocky slopes with sagebrush at elevations of 1,450 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this grass produces delicate, pale tan to light green spikelets with narrow, dense clusters. Growing with slender stems 12 to 35 centimeters tall, it forms compact tufts with fine, inrolled leaf blades less than 1.5 millimeters wide. Its leaves have glabrous proximal sheaths and narrow, tightly rolled blades that create a fine, dense appearance. The distinctive awned lemmas are densely hairy, with straight to slightly bent awns 4 to 11 millimeters long that easily detach when mature.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species; compact size, very short inflorescence and deciduous short awns distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Dry, open flats, rocky slopes, generally with sagebrush
Elevation: 1450-3500 m
California counties: Nevada, Mono, Alpine, Lassen, Plumas
Outside California: to Oregon, Idaho
Bloom period
Stipa webberi blooms May-Jul.
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 webberi native to California?
Yes. Stipa webberi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Stipa webberi bloom?
Stipa webberi blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Stipa webberi grow?
Stipa webberi occurs in Nevada, Mono, Alpine, Lassen, Plumas, at elevations of 1450-3500 m.
What plant family does Stipa webberi belong to?
Stipa webberi is in the Poaceae family, genus Stipa.
What habitat does Stipa webberi grow in?
Stipa webberi grows in Dry, open flats, rocky slopes, generally with sagebrush.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Stipa arida — Mormon needle grass
- Stipa brachychaeta — Puna needle grass
- Stipa capensis — Cape rice grass
- Stipa cernua — Nodding needle grass
- Stipa chaetophora — Stipoid rice grass
- Stipa comata — Needle-and-thread
- Swallenia alexandrae — Eureka valley dune grass
- Swallenia sp.
- Thinopyrum junceiforme — Russian wheatgrass
- Torreyochloa erecta — Spiked false mannagrass
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.