Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east to the Great Plains and Great Lakes region.
Habitat: Plains and prairies to forested areas in the mountains.
Flowers: May-July
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Wind
Tufted perennial, the culms up to 7 dm. tall, puberulent to glabrous.
Sheaths open; ligules membranous, 3-5 mm. long, rounded to acute, split or lacerate; blades 1-2 mm. broad, involute.
Inflorescence a contracted panicle 7-20 cm. long; spikelets 1-flowered; glumes membranous, narrow, tapered to very slender tips, 15-25 mm. long, 5-nerved; floret pale green to yellow; lemmas 8-12 mm. long, convolute, sparsely pubescent, the callus 3-4 mm. long, prolonged into an awn up to 15 cm. long, slender, twisted, and bent more than once; palea shorter than the lemma and enclosed by it; stamens 3.
Publication: Phytologia 74(1): 16. 1993.
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ssp. comata – needle and thread
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east to the Great Plains and Great Lakes region.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Hesperostipa comata in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WA Flora Checklist: Hesperostipa comata checklist entry.
OregonFlora: Hesperostipa comata information.
E-Flora BC: Hesperostipa comata atlas page.
CalPhotos: Hesperostipa comata photos.
USDA Plants: Hesperostipa comata information.
