Hesperostipa comata

Hesperostipa comata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Pooideae
Genus:	Hesperostipa
Species:	H. comata
Binomial name
Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth
Synonyms
Stipa comata

Hesperostipa comata, commonly known as needle-and-thread grass, is a species of grass native to North America, especially the western third. It has a wide distribution spanning from northern Canada to Mexico.

Description

Hesperostipa comata is a perennial bunchgrass producing erect, unbranched stems to about a meter-3 feet in maximum height. The narrow inflorescence is up to 28 centimeters long in taller plants, with the mature spikelet bearing a spiraling, hairy, spear-shaped awn up to 19 centimeters in length.

The seeds of this grass have hygroscopic extensions that bend with changes in humidity, enabling them to disperse over the ground. Each seed has an awn that twists several turns when the seed is released. Increased moisture causes it to untwist, and, upon drying, to twist again, thus the seed is drilled into the ground.

Habitat

This is a grass of many habitat types, from grassland to pine forest. Young shoots provide a favored food source for black-tailed prairie dogs and black-tailed jackrabbits, and the grass is a good early spring graze for livestock before it develops its long, sharp awn.

Cultural

This species was described by the explorers during the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Needle and thread grass is the provincial grass of the prairie province of Saskatchewan.

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External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment - Hesperostipa comata
• USDA Plants Profile; Hesperostipa comata
• Ecology
• Hesperostipa comata - Photo Gallery
• Needle and Thread grass on YouTube - Video of the awns twisting the seed into soil.

This Poaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Pooideae Bunchgrasses of North America Native grasses of the Great Plains region Native grasses of California Native grasses of Nebraska Native grasses of Oklahoma Native grasses of Texas Grasses of the United States Grasses of Canada Grasses of Mexico Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of the Western United States Flora of California chaparral and woodlands Flora of the Sierra Nevada region (U.S.) Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America) Flora of Saskatchewan Provincial symbols of Saskatchewan Fiber plants Poaceae stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (song) Hoang Minh Chinh Look at other dictionaries: Hesperostipa comata — atžalinė adatuolė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Miglinių šeimos pašarinis augalas (Hesperostipa comata), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Hesperostipa comata angl. needle and thread grass; needlegrass; speargrass šaltinis… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas) Hesperostipa comata — ID 39796 Symbol Key HECO26 Common Name needle and thread Family Poaceae Category Monocot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR,… …   USDA Plant Characteristics Hesperostipa comata ssp. comata — ID 39797 Symbol Key HECOC8 Common Name needle and thread Family Poaceae Category Monocot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR,… …   USDA Plant Characteristics Hesperostipa comata ssp. intermedia — ID 39801 Symbol Key HECOI Common Name intermediate needle and thread Family Poaceae Category Monocot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY Growth Habit… …   USDA Plant Characteristics Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth ssp. comata — Symbol HECOC8 Common Name needle and thread Botanical Family Poaceae …   Scientific plant list Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth var. comata — Symbol HECOC8 Synonym Symbol HECOC9 Botanical Family Poaceae …   Scientific plant list Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth ssp. comata — Symbol HECOC8 Common Name needle and thread Botanical Family Poaceae …   Scientific plant list Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth var. comata — Symbol HECOC8 Synonym Symbol HECOC9 Botanical Family Poaceae …   Scientific plant list Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth — Symbol HECO26 Common Name needle and thread Botanical Family Poaceae …   Scientific plant list Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth ssp. intermedia (Scribn. & Tweedy) Barkworth — Symbol HECOI Common Name intermediate needle and thread Botanical Family Poaceae …   Scientific plant list 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”