Mediterranean Needle-grass (Stipellula capensis (Thunb.) Röser & Hamasha)

Also known as cape ricegrass, cape rice grass, Mediterranean steppegrass, twisted-awned speargrass; also classified as Stipa capensis Thunb., Achnatherum capense (Thunb.) P. Beauv. (Misapplied).

The taxonomy of this species is confusing because the name Achnatherum capense has widely been used to refer to this species, POWO and most modern authorities say that name is a synonym of Pentameris pallida (Thunb.) Galley & H.P.Linder, a species native to South Africa, that does not occur in North America, and looks nothing like this one. The conflation of these two species may be the origin of the common name "Cape Ricegrass" which at this point is misleading. Unfortunately, this common name seems to be the dominant one in usage. POWO wrongly reports Pentameris pallida as introduced in California, probably because they (correctly) synonymize Achnatherum capense with it, but then they incorrectly reference content saying that the species with that name (i.e. sources that misapply that name) is introduced in California.