Native Bunchgrass (Stipa Pulchra) on Hastings Reservation, California

Species composition, cover, and standing crop were sampled in 13 small patches of the native bunchgrass Stipa pulchra on an area protected from grazing for 27 years. The common species present were representatives of lightly grazed annual grassland. Cover of Stipa, as basal area intercept, averaged 11%. Standing crop of all species averaged 98 g/m2, with Stipa comprising 37% of the total. Comparison of the 13 protected stands with four grazed stands showed differences in species composition, but basal area intercept and standing crop of Stipa were not significantly different. An ordination of all 17 stands using species frequency in quadrats showed a pattern consistently related to percentage slope.