Purple Needlegrass Seeds (Nassella pulchra)

California’s state grass is a plant of handsome, decorative seedheads. This bunchy perennial evokes western prairies before the plow. Once common, purple needlegrass formerly dominated millions of acres of coastal terraces, inland valleys, and foothills, especially west of the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges.

With deep-roots (often exceeding 10 feet), purple needlegrass is optimized for drought. It’s long-lived, growing to a respectable 2–3 feet tall, and flowering in late spring to early summer with elegant, purple-tinged awns that catch evening light like radio antennae from another world. This is a grass that will occupy well-drained loams and clays. It tolerates summer heat, and persists where gaudy big box nursery plants fail to thrive. The seeds of purple needlegrass are food for sparrows and quail.

In every way this is a cornerstone species for California grasslands, Co-plant it with spring annuals – poppies and lupines – or – mix it with other California native grasses such as Idaho fescue, prairie junegrass, and California oatgrass to create a durable grassy cover for wildlife. 

700+ Seeds (4 grams).