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Aristida portoricensis
Pelos del diablo is a rare perennial bunch grass endemic to Puerto Rico, forming tufts of stems up to 30 to 50 cm tall. It is federally listed as endangered in the United States, so it should not be collected from the wild.
Aristida portoricensis is a rare species of grass known by the common name pelos del diablo ("hair of the devil"). It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is known from two locations, one in a residential area of Mayagüez and one in the Sierra Bermeja. Two other known sites have been extirpated by development of the habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
This is a perennial grass producing a tuft of stems up to 30 to 50 centimeters tall. The inflorescence is a narrow panicle a few centimeters in length. Its habitat includes subtropical wet forests and grassland on soils of clay and serpentine origin. Development of the Sierra Bermeja is a potential threat for the grass and many other endemic plant species. Vandalism of the few remaining plants is also a potential threat.
Aristida acuta · Sixweeks threeawn · Aristida anaclasta · Aristida arida · Forked threeawn · Brush Spear Grass · Bentham's Aristida · California threeawn · Dark Wire Grass · Aristida capillacea · Chase's threeawn · Spreading Prickle Grass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aristida portoricensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
