Needle-and-Thread Grass

Genus Stipa
Grass Family (Poaceae/Graminae)





Needle-and-Thread Grass
(Stipa comata)


This grass grows 2 or 3 feet tall. Each of its seeds has a sharp head and a long thread extending out from it. Changes in temperature and humidity cause this thread to twist, helping the seed to corkscrew into the ground.



Needle-and-Thread Grass





Government Creek Cove
Boulder Mountain
Wayne County, Utah

References


Photographed
by Sandra Bray