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Taxon  Report  
Deschampsia cespitosa  (L.) Beauv.
California hairgrass,   Tufted hair grass,   Tufted hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa is a perennial grasslike herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
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
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Deschampsia
Family: Poaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: meadows, coastal, salt-marsh, freshwater-marsh

Communities: Coastal Salt Marsh, Freshwater Wetlands, Northern Coastal Scrub, Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Coastal Prairie, Alpine Fell-fields, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO
Alternate Names:
PLANTSAira caespitosa
PLANTSAira cespitosa
PLANTSDeschampsia bottnica
PLANTSDeschampsia caespitosa ssp. genuina
PLANTSDeschampsia caespitosa ssp. glauca
More …
Information about  Deschampsia cespitosa from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (DECE)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

California's Coastal Prairies: Grasses. Sonoma State University (link added by Ralph Gibson)


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: 07/10/2025).