About Stipellula capensis (Thunb.) Röser & Hamasha
Stipellula capensis has several common names: Mediterranean needle-grass, Cape rice grass, Mediterranean steppegrass, and twisted-awned speargrass. It is an annual grass belonging to the Poaceae grass family. Its native distribution extends from the Canary Islands and Madeira, through the Mediterranean basin and Western Asia, all the way to the Caucasus, Arabian Peninsula, and India. It is also native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa and the desert and semi-desert ecoregion of the Persian Gulf. In the Persian language, this species is called bahman, and it is thought to likely be the same plant that was used in the Persian festivity of bahmanagān.
