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POACEAE (Gramineae) GRASS FAMILY

James P. Smith, Jr., except as noted

Annual to woody per; 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 (rarely achene-like).
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). [Barkworth et al. 2003 FNANM:25; Barkworth et al. 2007 FNANM:24] 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 CA 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 s CA (J Bot Res Inst Texas 4:761–770). See Glossary p. 30 for illustrations of general family characteristics. —Scientific Editors: James P. Smith, Jr., J. Travis Columbus, Dieter H. Wilken.
Unabridged references: [Hitchcock 1951 Manual grasses US, USDA Misc Publ 200; Clayton & Renvoise 1986 Kew Bull Add Series 13]

Key to Poaceae

DIGITARIA CRAB GRASS
Annual, perennial herb.
Stem: decumbent to erect.
Leaf: basal and cauline; ligule membranous, ciliate or not; blade generally flat.
Inflorescence: digitate to panicle-like; 1° branches ± spike-like, spreading to ascending; spikelets generally many per branch, 2 or 3 per node, short-stalked to subsessile, on one side of axis.
Spikelet: dorsally compressed, falling as 1 unit; glumes unequal, upper glume <= spikelet, appressed-hairy, clearly 3–5-veined, veins minutely ridge-like; florets 2, lower floret sterile, lemma texture like upper glume, upper floret fertile, lemma ± thin, flexible, back facing away from inflorescence axis, margin flat, tip generally obtuse, awn 0; lower palea reduced or 0, the upper ± = lemma; anthers 3.
± 200 species: warm temperate, tropics, worldwide. (Latin: finger, from inflorescence branch arrangement) [Wipff 2003 FNANM 25:358–383] Digitaria bicornis (Lam.) Roem. & Schult., collected in 1926 in Monterey Co., and Digitaria eriantha Steud., collected in Imperial Co. in 1939, are presumed extirpated.
Unabridged references: [Webster 1987 Sida 12:209–222]

Key to Digitaria

D. ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler var. ciliaris SOUTHERN CRAB GRASS
NATURALIZED
Annual.
Stem: 10–100 cm, erect and decumbent.
Leaf: sheath with swollen-based hairs; ligule 2–3.5 mm, membranous; blade 1.5–25 cm, 3–10 mm wide, flat, generally scabrous on both surfaces.
Inflorescence: ± digitate ( whorled) with 2–10 1° branches, 6–22 cm; spikelets paired, unequally stalked.
Spikelet: generally 2.5–4 mm, elliptical, acute; lower glume 0.2–0.8 mm, ovate; upper glume generally 1.5–2.7 mm, lanceolate, 3-veined; lemma 2.5–4 mm, 3- or 7-veined, acute; upper palea leathery.
2n=54. Weedy in open, disturbed areas; generally < 150 m. South Coast, Peninsular Ranges (San Diego Co.); native to the c&e United States, especially the se. [Digitaria sanguinalis var. ciliaris (Retz.) Parl.] Jun–Sep [Online Interchange]
Unabridged note: There are Consortium records that, if verified, would voucher elevations up to 1079 m.

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs Markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
map of distribution 1

Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
View all CCH records

 

CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa.
Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.