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Nodding Needle Grass
Stipa cernua
  
About Nodding Needle Grass (Stipa cernua) 33 Nurseries Carry This Plant Nodding Needle Grass is a native grass that grows in many parts of California, primarily in the Coast Ranges from Tehama County southward at elevations from sea level to 5,000 ft. It is fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 3 feet, with active growth during the spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. There have been some taxonomic changes related to this genus (Needlegrass) over the years, and some sources may refer to it as Nasella. The Stipas generally have been a major component of California's native grasslands. In the garden it is best used in small patches between chaparral or sage scrub species and mixed with various perennial herbs and annuals.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Grass

Size
Size
1.7 - 3.3 ft tall
2 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Brown, Cream, Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use in the spaces between any chaparral shrubs or subshrubs, along with Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), California Thistle (Cirsium occidentale), Clarkia sp., Larkspur (Delphinium sp.), Lupine (Lupinus sp.), Beardtongue (Penstemon sp.), Phacelia sp., and with various geophytes such as native onions (Allium sp.), Mariposa Lily (Calochortus sp.), Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), and many others

Maintenance
Maintenance
It is important to keep non-native weeds from invading areas of Needlegrass

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7*, 8, 9, 11, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Grasslands and openings in coastal sage scrub, chaparral or woodlands in coastal foothills and valleys

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 6.0" - 58.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.54", Coldest Month: 34.6" - 57.4", Hottest Month: 61.9" - 80.5", Humidity: 0.34" - 28.68", Elevation: -21" - 5934"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Nassella cernua


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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