TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual or perennial herb, often rhizomed, often of wet open places, generally monoecious; roots fibrous, hairy
Stem generally 3-sided
Leaves often 3-ranked; sheath generally closed; ligule generally 0; blade (0) various, parallel-veined
Inflorescence: spikelets variously clustered; flowers generally sessile in axil of flower bract
Flower small, generally wind-pollinated; perianth 0 or bristle-like; stamens generally 3, anthers attached at base, 4-chambered; ovary superior, 1-chambered, 1-ovuled, style 23-branched
Fruit: achene, generally 3-sided
Genera in family: ± 110 genera, 3600 species: worldwide, especially temp
Reference: [Tucker 1987 J Arnold Arbor 68:361445]
Difficult: taxa differ in technical characters of inflorescence and fruit.
Annual, glabrous
Stem ± erect, 120 cm
Leaves basal, 13
Inflorescence: bracts 13, leaf-like; spikelets 50150, dense, spiralled, sessile, in dense, spheric to cylindric spikes; flower bracts spirally arranged, (0)12 per flower, 100400 per spikelet, outer > inner, awned at tip, with 1 central green and 2 lateral whitish veins, margins reddish, inner bract translucent
Flower bisexual; perianth 0; stamens 13, anthers 0.20.3 mm; styles 2-branched
Fruit 3-angled to subcylindric, abruptly soft-pointed, bumpy or warty, brown
Etymology: (Greek: falling chaff, from translucent inner flower bract)
Reference: [Friedland 1941 Amer J Bot 28:855861]
Native |
Stem 17 cm
Inflorescence: spikes 12, 25 mm, dense, generally ± spheric; outer flower bract lanceolate, body 0.50.8 mm, awn (0.5)11.5 mm; inner flower bract ± = fruit
Fruit 0.50.6 mm, widest at or just below tip, finely pitted, light brown; faces convex
Ecology: Wet soil
Elevation: 12001900 m.
Bioregional distribution: Outer North Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Peninsular Ranges
Distribution outside California: to Washington
Synonyms: Hemicarpha o. A. Gray