Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Melica aristata is a species of grass known by the common names awned melic and bearded melicgrass. It is native to the western United States from the Pacific Northwest to the Sierra Nevada and nearby ranges, where it grows in mountain forests and open hillsides. This is a rhizomatous perennial grass growing up to 1.2 meters tall. The flower cluster is a narrow series of cylindrical spikelets. Each spikelet has an awn up to 1.2 centimeters long, the characteristic which distinguishes it from the other melics.

Plant type

Grass

Size

4 ft Tall

Calscape icon
Color

Brown

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Site type

Dry open places places

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 1 likely

Confirmed Likely

Rural Skipper

Ochlodes agricola