Common Name: GRASS FAMILY Habit: Annual to woody perennial herb; roots generally fibrous. Stem: generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid. Leaf: alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear, parallel-veined; sheath generally open; ligule membranous or hairy, at blade base. Inflorescence: various (of generally many spikelets). Spikelet: glumes generally 2; florets (lemma, palea, flower) 1--many; lemma generally membranous, sometimes glume-like; palea generally +- transparent, +- enclosed by lemma. Flower: generally bisexual, minute; perianth vestigial; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose. Fruit: grain, sometimes achene- or utricle-like. Genera In Family: 650--900 genera; +- 10550 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials). Note: Generally wind-pollinated. Achnatherum, Ampelodesmos, Hesperostipa, Nassella, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium, Ptilagrostis moved to Stipa; Elytrigia, Leymus, Pascopyrum, Pseudoroegneria, Taeniatherum to Elymus; Hierochloe to Anthoxanthum; Lolium, Vulpia to Festuca; Lycurus to Muhlenbergia; Monanthochloe to Distichlis; Pleuraphis to Hilaria; Rhynchelytrum to Melinis. The following taxa (in genera not included here), recorded in California from historical collections or reported in literature, are extirpated, lacking vouchers, or not considered naturalized: Acrachne racemosa (Roth) Ohwi, Allolepis texana (Vasey) Soderstr. & H.F. Decker, Amphibromus nervosus (Hook. f.) Baill., Axonopus affinis Chase, Axonopus fissifolius (Raddi) Kuhlm., Coix lacryma-jobi L., Cutandia memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt., Dinebra retroflexa (Vahl) Panz., Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr., Eustachys distichophylla (Lag.) Nees, Gaudinia fragilis (L.) P. Beauv., Miscanthus sinensis Andersson, Neyraudia arundinacea (L.) Henrard, Phyllostachys aurea Rivière & C. Rivière, Phyllostachys bambusoides Siebold & Zuccarini, Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Schedonnardus paniculatus (Nutt.) Branner & Coville, Schizachyrium cirratum (Hack.) Wooton & Standl., Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash, Themeda quadrivalvis (L.) Kuntze, Thysanolaena latifolia (Hornem.) Honda, Tribolium obliterum (Hemsl.) Renvoize, Zea mays L., Zizania palustris L. var. interior (Fassett) Dore, Zoysia japonica Steud. Paspalum pubiflorum E. Fourn., Paspalum quadrifarium Lam., are now reported for southern California (J Bot Res Inst Texas 4:761--770). See Glossary p. 30 for illustrations of general family characteristics. eFlora Treatment Author: James P. Smith, Jr., except as noted Scientific Editor: James P. Smith, Jr., J. Travis Columbus, Dieter H. Wilken.
Etymology: (J.L.M. Vahl, Danish botanist, 1796--1854) eFlora Treatment Author: Robert E. Preston, Bruce G. Baldwin & Dieter H. Wilken Reference: Chiapella 2007 Taxon 56:55--64
Vahlodea atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm.
NATIVE Habit: Perennial herb. Stem: erect, 1 to densely clumped, 1.5--6 dm. Leaf: basal and cauline, basal tufted, generally glabrous; ligule 1--3 mm, obtuse to truncate, minutely ciliate at tip; blade 4--9 cm, 3--7 mm wide, flat. Inflorescence: panicle-like, > 1 cm wide, open; lower branches spreading to drooping. Spikelet: +- purple; glumes 4--6 mm, equal, > lower floret, elliptic, acute, glabrous or scabrous, lower 1-veined, upper 3-veined; axis inconspicuous beyond upper floret, +- 0.5 mm, flat, minutely ciliate (sometimes with vestigial floret at tip); florets generally 2, bisexual, breaking above glumes and between florets; callus soft-hairy, hairs +- 1/2 lemma length; lemma 2.5--4 mm, generally 2-toothed at tip, faintly 3-veined, awned near middle, awn 2--3 mm, straight to slightly bent; palea +- = lemma. Chromosomes: 2n=14. Ecology: Wet sites, meadows, streambanks, in conifer forest; Elevation: 2000--2300 m. Bioregional Distribution: KR (Marble Mtns, Trinity Alps), CaRH (Mount Shasta); Distribution Outside California: Alaska, eastern Canada, northeastern United States, northern Eurasia. Flowering Time: Jul--Sep Synonyms: Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenb.) Scheele Jepson eFlora Author: Robert E. Preston, Bruce G. Baldwin & Dieter H. Wilken Reference: Chiapella 2007 Taxon 56:55--64 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Listed on CNPS Rare Plant Inventory Previous taxon: Vahlodea Next taxon: Ventenata
Botanical illustration including Vahlodea atropurpurea
Citation for this treatment: Robert E. Preston, Bruce G. Baldwin & Dieter H. Wilken 2012, Vahlodea atropurpurea, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=47722, accessed on April 24, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 24, 2024.
No expert verified images found for Vahlodea atropurpurea.
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