Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands
Needle-and-threadgrass
Ch'il Bilata dee'ni'ni'
(a.k.a. Hesperostipa comata, Stipa comata, Stipa cometa, spear-grass)
Needle-and-threadgrass is a native perennial bunch grass. It ranges in height from 1 to 4 feet. It has narrow basal leaves 3 to 12 inches long with the blade usually rolled inward.
The mature spikelet has a long, hairy, spiraling awn.
Needle-and-threadgrass appears in many habitat types, including forest, grassland, and shrub-steppe communities. It reproduces by seed and tillers. Because of a long awn needle-and-thread grass seeds can embed themselves in the soil by a twisting action of the awn in response to daily humidity changes. This sharp awn may injure grazing animals, especially domestic sheep.
Needle-and-threadgrass is grazed by all livestock, particularly in the spring and fall when green, but it also cures well to provide dormant season grazing.
Description is partially drawn from the USDA USFS Fire Effects Information System.
Copyright 2018 New Mexico State University. Individual photographers retain all rights to their images. Partially funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (westernsare.org; 435.797.2257), project EW15-023. Programs and projects supported by Western SARE are equally open to all people. NMSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer..
NMSU does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, spousal affiliation or protected veteran status in its programs and activities as required by equal opportunity/affirmative action regulations and laws and university policy and rules. For more information please read the NMSU Notice of Non-discrimination (opens in new window).