''Nassella'', or needlegrass, is a

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

genus of over 100 perennial

bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennia ...

es found from

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

through

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. The Latin word ''nassa'' refers to "a basket with a narrow neck". It is usually considered segregate from the genus ''

Stipa ''Stipa'' is a genus of 141 species of large Perennial plant, perennial hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, w ...

'' and includes many New World species formerly classified in that genus. As of 2011, '' The Jepson Manual'' includes ''Nassella'' within ''Stipa''. ''Nasella'' is characterized by strongly overlapping lemma margins and reduced, veinless paleae. The lemma tips are fused into the "crown", a short membrane that surrounds the base of the lemma. The rim of the crown usually has hairs. Many species form both cross-pollinating and self-pollinating florets in the terminal panicle. The self-pollinating florets have 1–3 small anthers; the cross-pollinating florets have 3 longer anthers. Some species have self-pollinating inflorescences hidden in their basal leaf sheaths. These hidden inflorescences lack glumes and usually lack awns. Some species (especially Nassella neesiana and Nassella tenuissima) are considered invasive pests, as the grass is not properly digested by ruminants.

Diversity

As of 2001, there were about 116 species in this genus.Barkworth, M. E. and M. A. Torres. (2001)
Distribution and diagnostic characters of ''Nassella'' (Poaceae: Stipeae).
''Taxon'' 50(2) Golden Jubilee Part 4, 439–68.

California species

*'' Nassella pulchra'' – purple needlegrass; currently reclassified as ''Stipa pulchra''. ::*A native grass of California that was once a dominant species in California

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

s before invasive European grasses became dominant. The seeds were an important food source for many of the

Indigenous peoples of California Indigenous peoples of California, commonly known as Indigenous Californians or Native Californians, are a diverse group of nations and peoples that are indigenous to the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and afte ...

. Today, the bunchgrass is the State Grass of California and plays an important role in native grassland restoration and erosion control."History and Culture: State Insignia"
''

California State Library The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central ...

'', December 8, 2006. *'' Nassella lepida'' – foothill needlegrass; currently reclassified as ''Stipa lepida''. ::*A native

of California 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 ...

. *'' Nassella cernua'' – nodding needlegrass; currently reclassified as ''Stipa cernua''. ::*A native bunchgrass of California, Northwestern Mexico, and the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

Horticultural species

*'' Nassella tenuissima'' – Mexican feathergrass. ::*An attractive, drought-tolerant bunchgrass with fine leaves and a narrow inflorescence that sways gracefully in the wind. However, it readily escapes from cultivation and takes hold in disturbed areas, natural areas, and in sidewalk cracks, driveways, and tree wells. It is an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

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

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Other species

*'' Nassella charruana'' ( Arechav.) Barkworth *'' Nassella chilensis'' – Chilean tussockgrass *'' Nassella crassiflora'' ( Roseng. & B.R.Arrill.) Barkworth *'' Nassella hyalina'' – spear grass *'' Nassella ibarrensis'' *'' Nassella laevissima'' *'' Nassella leucotricha'' – Texas wintergrass *'' Nassella manicata'' – Andean tussockgrass, tropical needlegrass *'' Nassella neesiana'' – Uruguayan tussockgrass *'' Nassella rosengurttii'' ( Chase) Barkworth *'' Nassella trichotoma'' – serrated tussockgrass, Yass River tussockgrass *'' Nassella viridula'' – green needlegrass

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Nassella''

Flora of North America, Grass Manual: ''Nassella''
{{Authority control Poaceae genera Bunchgrasses of North America Bunchgrasses of South America Grasses of Mexico Grasses of the United States Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants