Needlegrass (2)
Needle-and-Thread Grass
Hesperostipa comata
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 14, 2012
Location:
Bandelier Nat Mon, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Open mesas, dry pastures
Grows to 4ft tall with very long, up to 8", smooth awns. The flowers are long and narrow with a sharp point. The awns are straight when dry and twisted when wet or aging, so twist around each other.
New Mexico Feathergrass
Hesperostipa neomexicana
Family:
Grass (Poaceae)
AKA:
New Mexico Needlegrass
Photo taken on:
May 29, 2017
Location:
Red Wash Canyon, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry, sandy, rocky areas
A tufted grass growing from 18" to 3 feet tall with narrow leaves and distinctive very long (up to 8" long) hairy/feathery awns that twist with age.
