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Desert Needlegrass (Pappostipa speciosa)
Grasses Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)

General: Desert Needlegrass (Pappostipa speciosa) is the common, tall, upright grass that grows in individual clumps (a bunchgrass) in the deserts around Las Vegas. The flowering stalks bear flowers that tend to remain tight against the stalk. When the seeds are ripe, the awns are about 2 inches long and bent in the middle at about 90-degree. The lower end of the awn is densely hairy, but the far end is hairless. 

Desert Needlegrass is a common component of vegetation associations in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) and higher life zones.

Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)

Family: Grass (Poaceae).

Other Names: Stipa speciosa, Pappostipa speciosa, Achnatherum speciosum.

Plant Form: Perennial grass. Grows in bunches. The flowering stalks bear flowers that tend to remain tight against the stalk.

Height: About 3 feet.

Seeds: When the seeds are ripe, the awns are about 2 inches long and bent in the middle at about 90-degree. The lower end of the awn is densely hairy, but the far end is hairless.

Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum) Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum) Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum) Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum) Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum) Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Developing flowers
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Maturing flowers
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Flowers with stamens exerted
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Ripe seed heads
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Bent awns
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Bent awns
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
Spent flowers persist for some time
Desert Needlegrass (Achnatherum speciosum)
During winter, the ends of the flower stems become naked

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
copyright; Last updated 240623

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