. California grasslands and range forage grasses. Grasses; Forage plants. ness of needlegrasses on the range. They sometimes increase considerably on freshly burned chaparral lands. They are recommended for artificial reseeding of brush-cleared California ranges (36). Seed is not yet commercially available. 1. PURPLE NEEDLEGRASS {Stipapulchra) is densely tufted, the culms 2-3% ft (60-100 cm) tall; leafy at base; panicle 6-8 in (15-20 cm) long, nodding; spike- lets purplish; lemma dark, nearly gla- brous except at base and summit. (Fig. 79.) Distribution and habitat: Purple nee- dlegrass is fou
. California grasslands and range forage grasses. Grasses; Forage plants. ness of needlegrasses on the range. They sometimes increase considerably on freshly burned chaparral lands. They are recommended for artificial reseeding of brush-cleared California ranges (36). Seed is not yet commercially available. 1. PURPLE NEEDLEGRASS {Stipapulchra) is densely tufted, the culms 2-3% ft (60-100 cm) tall; leafy at base; panicle 6-8 in (15-20 cm) long, nodding; spike- lets purplish; lemma dark, nearly gla- brous except at base and summit. (Fig. 79.) Distribution and habitat: Purple nee- dlegrass is found in the Coast Range. Fig. 79. Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra). from Humboldt County south to San Diego County, and in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, mostly below 3000 ft. It is most abundant in the Coast Range where it inhabits the warmer slopes, open well-drained flats, and sparsely timbered areas of the foothills and valleys. Purple needlegrass is high in the successional stage of plant cover. Under proper management it usually re- places bromegrasses, some fescues, and annuals. Although adapted to many sites, the most persistent and dense stands are found on sandy loams. Forage value and reproduction: Pur- ple needlegrass is grazed with relish over a long growing period in the Coast Range. In this region the large amount of basal leafage remains green for nine or ten months and is cropped by all classes of livestock. In the interior val- leys growth is less succulent and the roughish leafage is grazed only in early spring or in times of drought, and then chiefly by cattle and horses. The produc- tion of purple needlegrass on the foot- hill ranges has been reduced by improper grazing practices. Heavy grazing during the period of maximum growth, usually during May, has apparently prevented storage of adequate food reserves in stem bases and roots, and consequently re- duced growth the subsequent year (53). A management plan designed to favor this grass should inc
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