Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Distribution by County   12067    
Stipa pulchra  Hitchc.
Purple needle grass
Stipa pulchra is a perennial grasslike herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
also called Nassella pulchra
Record Count by County

Alameda: 124 Lake: 24 Placer: 13 Shasta: 3
Amador: 4 Los Angeles: 230 Riverside: 151 Solano: 55
Butte: 71 Madera: 1 Sacramento: 98 Sonoma: 346
Calaveras: 16 Marin: 857 San Benito: 106 Stanislaus: 1
Colusa: 14 Mariposa: 3 San Bernardino: 28 Sutter: 13
Contra Costa: 197 Mendocino: 29 San Diego: 364 Tehama: 47
El Dorado: 33 Merced: 16 San Francisco: 57 Trinity: 1
Fresno: 60 Mono: 1 San Luis Obispo: 120 Tulare: 3
Glenn: 1 Monterey: 159 San Mateo: 365 Tuolumne: 15
Humboldt: 9 Napa: 63 Santa Barbara: 210 Ventura: 206
Inyo: 1 Nevada: 13 Santa Clara: 358 Yolo: 28
Kern: 24 Orange: 289 Santa Cruz: 143 Yuba: 19

Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals, including the Consortium of California Herbaria. [web application]. 2026. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 01/23/2026).