| 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 to bamboo-like; roots generally fibrous
Stem generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid
Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear; 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; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose
Fruit: achene-like grain
Genera in family: 650–900 genera; ± 10,000 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials)
Reference: [Hitchcock 1951 Manual grasses US, USDA Misc Publ 200; Clayton & Renvoise 1986 Kew Bull Add Series 13]
See Glossary p. 26 for illustrations of general family characteristics. Generally wind-pollinated.
Annual, perennial herb
Stems ascending to erect
Leaves basal and cauline; appendages 0 or small, acute to obtuse; ligule membranous to translucent, obtuse to truncate; blade generally flat, margin minutely scabrous
Inflorescence panicle-like, cylindric to ovoid, dense; branches spike-like, short
Spikelet ± sessile, strongly laterally compressed; glumes subequal, membranous, keel generally stiff-ciliate (comb-like), pointed to awned at obtuse to truncate tip, 3-veined; floret 1, breaking above glumes, bisexual; lemma generally awnless at wide, truncate tip, 3–7-veined; palea ± = lemma
Species in genus: 15 species: temp Am, Eurasia
Etymology: (Greek: a marsh reed)
| Introduced |
Perennial
Stems solitary to loosely clumped, 5–10 dm; base generally swollen
Leaf: basal few, generally spreading; cauline blade 4–20 cm, 3–6 mm wide
Inflorescence 4–18 cm, 5–8 mm wide, cylindric
Spikelet: glumes 2–3 mm, lower 1/2 scabrous on back, awned at acuminate tip, awn generally < 2 mm; lemma 1–2.5 mm, veins puberulent
Chromosomes: 2n=14,21,28
Ecology: Disturbed sites, roadsides, cultivated fields
Elevation: < 2100 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province, Great Basin Floristic Province
Distribution outside California: N.America, Mexico; native to Eurasia
Flowering time: May–Jun
Widely cultivated for forage, hay.