Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra) Login         


        Description



Purple Needlegrass has an open inflorescence and long awns. It has only one floret per spikelet.



Spikelets are purplish. Awns are needle-like and about as long as your pinkie (1.5 to 4"). Awns bend twice when they're mature.



The weight of the spikelets and the length of their awns causes the grass to bend at the top and wave in the wind.

   Photo Gallery (43 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

Purple Needle Grass grows 2 to 3 feet tall. It can live over 100 years and so forms stable communities. It survives normal brush fires (but not ...

Purple Needle Grass was the dominant grass in California before European settlement. Its deep root system (typically 2 to 6 feet deep) helps it tol ...

Leaves wrap the stem in a [[sheaf]]. Leaves are about 1/4" across and grow 4 to 8 inches long.

The stem is unbranched, with leaves along the bottom part. Above the leaves is a branched [[inflorescence]] of many small drooping [[spikelets]]. ...

[[Spikelets]] have a purplish hue. Inside is a [[floret]] that opens up for fertilization when it's mature. It releases [[pollen]] and waits to ...