Achnatherum occidentale
Encyclopedia
Achnatherum occidentale is a species of grass
known by the common name western needlegrass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to California
to Colorado
, where it grows in many types of habitat. This is a tufting perennial bunchgrass forming tight clumps of erect stems up to about 120 centimeters in maximum height, but sometimes much shorter. The hairlike leaves are less than a millimeter wide and may have rolled edges. The inflorescence
is up to 30 centimeters long, with each hairy spikelet bearing an awn up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The awn is kinked twice.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common name western needlegrass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where it grows in many types of habitat. This is a tufting perennial bunchgrass forming tight clumps of erect stems up to about 120 centimeters in maximum height, but sometimes much shorter. The hairlike leaves are less than a millimeter wide and may have rolled edges. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is up to 30 centimeters long, with each hairy spikelet bearing an awn up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The awn is kinked twice.