CRCritically Endangered

European feather grass

Stipa pennata

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stipa_pennata

Overview

Stipa pennata, commonly known as European feather grass, is a flowering plant and arid zone sand grass in the grass family Poaceae, which is grown as an ornamental plant for its feathery flowering spikes. It is one of the most common plants of the Eurasian Steppe from Mongolia in the east to the Puszta in Hungary and the Devínska Kobyla forest-steppe in Slovakia in the west. Its foliage is green in summer while the flowers are silvery-grey during the same season.

It is 60–90 centimetres (24–35 in) high.

European feather grass (Stipa pennata) faces severe decline primarily due to habitat loss from agricultural intensification and urban development across its native grassland ecosystems. The conversion of natural steppes and dry grasslands to cropland, combined with changes in traditional grazing practices, has fragmented and eliminated much of its suitable habitat. Climate change and invasive species further threaten remaining populations of this iconic grass species.
Threat summary

Habitat

TERRESTRIAL· majorTERRESTRIAL· major

Other threatened species in Poaceae

Small Sweet-grass

Glyceria declinata

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is European feather grass classified as Critically Endangered?

European feather grass is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. European feather grass (Stipa pennata) faces severe decline primarily due to habitat loss from agricultural intensification and urban development across its native grassland ecosystems. The conversion of natural steppes and dry grasslands to cropland, combined with changes in traditional grazing practices, has fragmented and eliminated much of its suitable habitat. Climate change and invasive species further threaten remaining populations of this iconic grass species.

Where does European feather grass live?

European feather grass occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.

What are the main threats to European feather grass?

The main threats to European feather grass are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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