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Stipa cernua  Stebbins & Love
Nodding needle grass
© 2018 Liz Block
© 2022 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2022 Dianne Lake
© 2022 Dianne Lake
© 2022 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2019 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2022 Dianne Lake
© 2013 Christopher Bronny
© 2023 Deanna Giuliano
© 2022 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2022 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2020 Keir Morse
Stipa cernua is a perennial grasslike herb that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
also called Nassella cernua
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Stipa
Family: Poaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Coastal Sage Scrub, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + POWO

Alternate Names:
JEFNassella cernua
PLANTSNassella cernua
Information about  Stipa cernua from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (NACE)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Common Name, Endangered Status: Nassella cernua (syn. Stipa cernua) is a species of grass known by the common name nodding needlegrass. This and many other native grasses of the California Floristic Province have declined because of the encroachment of introduced species of grasses, making native grasslands a very endangered habitat type, and this plant a listed Vulnerable species.[1] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/31/2025).