Cauline internodes puberulent to nearly lanose. Lower glumes 6-10 mm; upper glumes 11-13 mm; awns forming a 7-26 mm column, free portions 25-50 mm.

Aristida californica var. californica grows in dry, sandy plains, dunes, and flats of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts at elevations of 0-700 m.