Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Erioneuron pulchellum, Tridens pulchellus, Triodia pulchella
Other common names
fluffgrass
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Cool
Warm
Dry rocky slopes and desert flats, can be dominant in southwest deserts.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2000
High elevation
5500
General Description
Low growing grass, dry most of the year. Forms half a sphere in its shape. Stems arching outward and may root some distance away.
Dwarf, tufted perennial; numerous wiry stems, 2 to 5-1/2 inches tall; seedhead head-like, exceeded by blades; ligule fringed, <1/16 inch long; sheath open; collar smooth except for long marginal hairs. Early season leaves covered by white cobwebby fluff.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
Yes
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
Less than 12 inches
Seedhead Structure
Branched - contracted
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
October
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Dense, head-like cluster of white woolly spikelets, light green or purple-tinged when new, surrounded by a tuft of leaf blades.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Blades 3/8 to 2 inches long, 1/32 inch wide, sharp pointed.
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
Yes
Ligule
Hairy
Auricles
No
Little to none, avoided by most livestock.