Piitó
Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
- Piitó is a significant basketry material for Native people in Central California.
- The seeds of piitó provide food for many kinds of birds in the summer.
- In spring, piitó produces tall spikes of tan-yellow flowers.
Deergrass (photo by Charles E. Jones, CC BY 3.0)
Deergrass (photo by Zoya Akulova, CC BY-NC 3.0)
- Piitó tends to grow back better after fire, which promotes seedling production, recycles nutrients, and increases flower stalk yields (USDA).
- Piitó is called "deergrass" in English because it provides food for deer to graze as well as cover during their fawning period.
Homodíbe mɨɨm? (Where is it?) You can find piitó growing in the Tribal Community Garden and outsde of the Tribal Admin building.
Esak’ahá daak’ábe mi c’aykɨ́ɨ? (Do you want to know more?) This webpage is part of a larger initiative to share signage highlighting plants found around the Shingle Springs Rancheria and their Nisenan names.
Webpage last updated: 2025-07-16