Hesperostipa neomexicana

New Mexican Needlegrass

A wild patch of New Mexican Needlegrass.

The narrow seedheads in the wind.

New Mexican Needlegrass awns become curly when mature.

New Mexican Needlegrass roots and a seedhead. This grass is perennial with knotty rhizomatous roots.

The seedhead of New Mexico Needlegrass is very twisted below the awns when mature. This shows several spikelets in a twisted row, each having one long awn.

Hesperostipa neomexicana awned florets have the paleas and seeds tucked tightly inside the slender, hairy, spear-like lemma (see below).

The hairy floret pulls out easily from the glumes. The awn arises from the top of this micro-photo.

The awn looks "furry" in microscopic view. The ruler divisions are one-half millimeter.

Another micro view of the hirsute awn. The awn itself is not twisted.

How to Identify New Mexican Needlegrass

  Hesperostipa neomexicana is distinctive for its exceedingly long awns that are furry-looking in hand lens or microscope. On a windy day, the light-colored awns stream out beautifully. When mature, the awns become curly--see one up close by pulling it out of the glumes. Hesperostipa neomexicana occurs in every Arizona county except Yuma. It is short to medium in height, usually knee to hip high.

Similar Species

  You won't likely confuse it with Tanglehead, which also has twisted awns, because Tanglehead's seedheads appear dark brown, and its awns are not nearly as long and not furry.
  A look-alike in Arizona is Hesperostipa comata, called Needle-and-Thread, which is very similar except that Needle-and-Thread awns are not furry with long hairs, but rather twisted and short-haired at the base as shown here.