Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Oryzopsis micrantha, Piptatherum micranthum, Stipa divaricata
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Open woodlands, rocky slopes, and creek banks.
Plant Community
Grasslands
Interior Chaparral
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Riparian
Low elevation
2000
High elevation
7000
General Description
Loosely tufted and erect bunchgrass.
Loosely tufted; blades less than 1/16 inch wide, rough, mostly basal; ligules truncate 1/16 inch long; spikelets less than 1/8 inch long; lemmas hairless; seedheads densely tufted, open at maturity; small, dorsally compressed florets; appressed pedicels.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
August
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
1/4 inch to 1 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
Yes
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedheads 2 to 8 inches, lower nodes with 1 to 3 branches. Florets 1/16 inch, dorsally compressed; lemmas usually hairless, sometimes having short hairs; shiny, 5-veined, margins not overlapping; awns 1/4 to 1/2 inch, weakly bent and deciduous.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Blades 2 to 6 inches long, 1/16 inch wide, usually rolled inward (involute).
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Highly palatable to cattle and horses; moderately palatable to sheep, elk and deer.