Melica aristata

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.