Stipellula capensis

Stipellula capensis, the Mediterranean needle-grass,^[2] Cape rice grass, Mediterranean steppegrass or twisted-awned speargrass, is an annual grass from family Poaceae.^[3]

Stipellula capensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Stipellula
Species:	S. capensis
Binomial name
Stipellula capensis (Thunb.) Röser & Hamasha
Synonyms[1]
Stipa capensis Thunb. (1794) (basionym) Stipa capensis var. tortilis (Desf.) Breistr. Stipa humilis Brot., nom. illeg. Stipa liwinowii Roshev., pro syn. Stipa retorta Cav. Stipa seminuda Vahl ex Hornem. Stipa tenacissima Ucria, nom. illeg. Stipa tortilis Desf. Stipa tortilis var. pubescens Ball Stipella capensis (Thunb.) Röser & Hamasha Stipellula capensis var. pubescens (Ball) F.M.Vázquez

The species ranges from the Canary Islands and Madeira through the Mediterranean basin and Western Asia to the Caucasus, Arabian Peninsula, and India, and is also native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.^[1] It is native to the Persian Gulf desert and semi-desert ecoregion.^[4] In Persian it is called bahman and is probably the same plant which was used in the Persian festivity of bahmanagān.