Managing rangelands: promoting native grass species: Stipa tenacissima: nurse species to initiate the process of ecosystem restoration

Stipa tenacissima is a long-lived perennial grass
that dominates the Mediterranean Basin steppe,
covering more than 2.8 million ha and growing in
almost all geomorphological units. The plant
seems to prefer calcareous soils that are shallow
and permeable with a very sandy texture. It does
not adapt well to soils with gypsum, salt, clay, or
loam content. Besides this, it is distributed within
a wide range of bioclimates with great tolerance
to temperature variations. Its optimal bioclimatic
stages are arid superior and semi-arid lower.