''Eriocoma parishii'' is a species of
grass
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...
known by the common name Parish's needlegrass.
[CalFlora Database: ''Stipa parishii''](_blank)
. accessed 8.2.2013
It is also known by the synonyms ''Stipa parishii'' and ''Achnatherum parishii''.
[ The Jepson Manual 2nd edition (2012) reclassified the plant as ''Stipa parishii'' var. ''parishii''.CalFlora Database: ''Stipa parishii'' var. ''parishii'']
. accessed 8.2.2013
Description
''Stipa parishii'' is a perennial bunch grass which forms tight tufts of erect stems up to about 80 centimeters tall.
The
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
is up to 15 centimeters long and packed with densely hairy spikelets. Each spikelet has an
awn up to about 3.5 centimeters long. It has a single kink in it, whereas the awns of many other ''
Stipa'' species have two kinks.
Range and habitat
The
bunchgrass is native to western North America from southern
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and
Baja California, through
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
and
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, to
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, where it grows in many types of habitat, especially
chaparral and other dry habitats. It is found from in elevation. Locations include the
Peninsular Ranges,
Mojave Desert sky islands, southern
Sierra Nevada and High Sierra,
Inyo Mountains,
White Mountains, and
Great Basin Desert mountains.
See also
*
Bunchgrasses of North America
*
Native grasses of California
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileGrass Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q89003515, from2=Q4673857
parishii
Bunchgrasses of North America
Grasses of Mexico
Grasses of the United States
Native grasses of California
Flora of Baja California
Flora of Arizona
Flora of Nevada
Flora of Utah
Flora of California
Flora of the California desert regions
Flora of the Great Basin
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the Mojave Desert
Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
Plants described in 1882