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Stipa lepida  Hitchc.
Foothill needle grass
© 2017 Gary McDonald
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2024 Mel Letterman
© 2024 Siena Watson
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2015 Chris Jaster
© 2015 Chris Jaster
© 2018 Rachelle Gray
© 2016 Andrew Longman
© 2024 Siena Watson
© 2024 Laura Powers
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Diana Wahl
© 2022 Margot Cunningham
© 2017 Gary McDonald
© 2013 Belinda Lo
Stipa lepida is a perennial grasslike herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
also called Nassella lepida
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
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Stipa
Family: Poaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Coastal Prairie

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF

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

USDA PLANTS Profile (NALE2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Genus Transfer: It is native to California in the United States, where it occurs as far north as Humboldt County,[4] and its range extends into Baja California.This species and several others were recently transferred from genus Stipa into Nassella, mainly on the basis of their "strongly convolute lemmas". Genetic evidence supports the transfer. (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: 03/29/2025).