Species Detail Grasses

Seedheads - Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Achnatherum nelsonii - Columbia needlegrass Synonyms: Stipa columbiana, Stipa nelsonii, Stipa occidentalis Other Common Names: Subalpine needlegrass, western needlegrass Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae


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Spikelets Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Native Season: Cool Habitat Description: Openings in upper sagebrush zones, mountain brush, pinyon-juniper and aspen-fir communities. Plant Communities:Interior Chaparral, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest Elevation: 5000 - 8000 feet Similar Species: Achnatherum robustum General Description Desc: Perennial bunchgrass that grows in dense, leafy tufts. Roots are deep and fibrous and can extend vertically to more than 3 feet deep. Identification Notes: Lemmas have long slender somewhat sparse hairs. Awn mostly more than 1 inch long. Sheaths not hairy at the collar. Lower nodes of panicle without hairs. Blades are long and bright green. Grass Type: Perennial bunchgrass Rhizomes: N Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N Bushy (highly branched): N Height with Seedheads: 24 to 36 inches Seedhead Structure: Branched - contracted Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: Jun - Sep Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: One-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Greater than 1 inch Three Awns: N Awns Bent: Y Flower and Seedhead Notes: The seedhead is a dense, slender, spike-like panicle or raceme. Awns twice-bent, first 2 segments are hairy. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: N Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Flat Blade Notes: Leaves are flat when green and rolled at the margins when dry, 4 to 10 inches long, sometimes longer and less than 1/4 inch wide. Sheath Hairy: N Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: N Ligules: Membranous Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N Forage Value: This is a palatable grass to domestic livestock such as cattle, horses and sheep. It is also consumed by mule deer. However, when the awns mature, it becomes undesirable to most animals.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer