Grass Description
Grows in open or closed forests on rocky slopes, cliffs, canyons, and rock outcrops of granitic or limestone origin.
General Description
Loosely tufted, seedhead stems wiry, erect, sometimes bent at nodes and rooting at the lower nodes; seedheads contracted with soft awns.
Tufted perennial grass without rhizomes; seedheads narrow, branches contracted and flowered from base; awns at least 1/2 inch long; second glume smooth not broken into teeth; lemmas without hairs; old sheath never flat or coiled.
Flower Characteristics
Seedhead 3 to 6 inches long, narrow, contracted, interrupted, the branches ascending, spikelet bearing nearly to their base, 1/8 inch long without awns. Lemmas prominently 3-nerved, awn 1/8 to 1 inch long, mid-nerve extending as a straight or wavy awn.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blades 2 to 5 inches long, less than 1/16 inch wide, flat to rolled inward, smooth below, rough on top, often with dark brown necrotic spots.
Fair to good.