''Eriocoma coronata'', formerly classified as ''Achnatherum coronatum'', is a greenish 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 crested needlegrass, giant ricegrass, and giant stipa.CalFlora database: ''Stipa coronata''
. accessed 8.2.2013TJM2 accepted name = "Stipa coronata". ''Achnatherum coronatum'' is not an active name in the Calflora species table.

Distribution

The grass is native to 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 Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

, where it grows on the coastal and inland hills, often in

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

oak woodland An oak woodland is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak woodlands are intermediate between oak savanna, which is more open, and oak forest, which is more closed. Although the c ...

, and

yellow pine In ecology and forestry, yellow pine refers to a number of conifer species that tend to grow in similar plant communities and yield similar strong wood. In the Western United States, yellow pine refers to Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine. In the S ...

forest plant communities. It grows from sea level to in elevation. ''Eriocoma coronata'' is found in the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Range ...

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of Southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa Ba ...

, southern Outer

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte County, California, Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Trans ...

, and the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

Description

''Eriocoma coronata'' is a perennial grass forming loose bunches up to about in maximum height, but usually shorter. The clumps expand by short rhizomes. This species is similar to its inland relative, ''

Eriocoma parishii ''Eriocoma parishii'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name Parish's needlegrass.

'', and occasionally the two intergrade in characteristics and are easily confused. The grass bears a generous

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 ...

up to 60 centimeters long with large spikelets up to 2 centimeters long each, not including an awn of up to 4.5 centimeters. The awn has two distinct kinks.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Stipa coronata''USDA Plants Profile: ''Achnatherum coronatum'' (''Stipa coronata'') — (giant ricegrass)Grass Manual Treatment''Stipa coronata'' (''Achnatherum coronatum'') — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from1= Q89003083, from2=Q67192039, from3=Q4673847 coronata Bunchgrasses of North America Native grasses of California Grasses of Mexico Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants described in 1880

Distribution

Description

See also

References

External links