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Taxon  Report  
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
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, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + POWO
Alternate Names:
JEFNassella pulchra
PLANTSNassella pulchra
Information about  Stipa pulchra from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (NAPU4)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia} Indigenous Peoples Use: This grass is the preferred material used by the California Indian basket weavers for teaching the art of basket weaving. (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: 07/13/2025).