Small Flowered Needlegrass, Stipa lepida

About Small Flowered Needlegrass (Stipa lepida) 31 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Small Flowered Needlegrass or Foothill Needlegrass is a native bunchgrass that grows in northern, southern and central California. 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. Flowers are yellow and bloom in the early spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in dry slopes, at elevations from 0-4000 feet.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Grass

Size

1.7 - 3.3 ft tall
2 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Dormancy

Summer Deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

Brown, Cream, Purple

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Juba Skipper Hesperia jubaHesperia juba

Common Ringlet Coenonympha tulliaCoenonympha tullia

Nevada Skipper Hesperia nevadaHesperia nevada

Uncas Skipper Hesperia uncasHesperia uncas

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Shade, Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Never irrigate once established

Nurseries

Carried by 31

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Slow, Medium

Soil Description

Adaptable but often found in clay loam. Soil PH: 5.3 - 8.2

Common uses

Groundcovers

Companion Plants

Native annual wildflowers such as Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.) and Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) and other native grasses.

Maintenance

Can be mowed or sheared to 4-6 inches

Propagation?

For propagating by seed (no treatment, plant in summer/fall) or by divisions (plant in winter)

Sunset Zones?

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

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry slopes

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 9.1" - 101.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 2.78", Coldest Month: 38.3" - 56.7", Hottest Month: 62.2" - 80.8", Humidity: 0.48" - 28.89", Elevation: 13" - 5599"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Nassella lepida
Common Names: Foothill Stipa Foothill Needlegrass, Small-flowered Needlegrass, Small-flowered Stipa, Smallflower Tussockgrass

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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

Small Flowered Needlegrass

Stipa lepida

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Small Flowered NeedlegrassStipa lepida

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Small Flowered Needlegrass

Stipa lepida