Stipa spartea

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Porcupine grass
S. spartea seed
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Stipa Species: S. spartea
Binomial name
Stipa spartea

Stipa spartea is a grass species in the genus Stipa and is often called Porcupine Grass.

The seeds are needle like with sharp tips and long tails. The tails are composed of two different strands that dry at different rates and twist around each other, causing the sharp head of the seed to be driven into the soil. Just behind the sharp, needle like tip, is a collar of long thick hairs that face backward preventing the seeds from working there way back out of the soil. This species of grass can have its seeds entangled in sheep's hair while they are feeding and once entangled it often works its way into the animals skin.

Note the two differently colored strands wrapping around the tails, they each twist at different rates depending on the humidity of the air.

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