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.
Habit: Perennial herb from scaly rhizomes or glabrous stolons; dioecious (monoecious). Stem: matted (< 5 cm) to ascending and erect (<= 80 cm), stiff, glabrous, solid in ×-section. Leaf: conspicuously 2-ranked; ligule membranous or fringed; blade flat or +- rolled, if short awl-like, generally glabrous, occasionally with hairy tufts at collar. Inflorescence: panicle- or raceme-like (a single spikelet); spikelets short-pedicelled (sessile), staminate inflorescence sometimes above leaves. Spikelet: unisexual; pistillate generally = staminate, generally laterally compressed; glumes unequal (0), firm, awns 0, lower 3(5)-veined, upper 5--7(9)-veined; axis breaking above glumes and between florets; florets 3--20; lemma wide narrowing to acuminate tip, 7--11-veined, awn 0; palea +- = lemma; keel minutely hairy or scabrous. Etymology: (Greek: in 2 rows, from leaf arrangement) eFlora Treatment Author: Hester L. Bell Reference: Beetle 1943 Bull Torr Bot Club 70:638--650; Bell & Columbus 2008 Syst Bot 33:536--551
Distichlis littoralis (Engelm.) H.L. Bell & Columbus
NATIVE Habit: Perennial herb, mat-like. Stem: prostrate 3--8 dm; lateral 5--23 cm. Leaf: blade 4--12 mm, sharply folded. Inflorescence: spikelet 1. Spikelet: 8--13 mm, generally concealed by leaves; glumes 0; lemma veins 7--9; florets 3--5, 1--2 fertile, sterile above; lower lemma firmly enclosing flower and fruit. Ecology: Salt marshes; Elevation: +- 0 m. Bioregional Distribution: SCo, ChI, DSon (Salton Sea); Distribution Outside California: to Texas, Florida, Cuba, Mexico. Flowering Time: Apr--Aug Synonyms: Monanthochloe littoralis Engelm. Jepson eFlora Author: Hester L. Bell Reference: Beetle 1943 Bull Torr Bot Club 70:638--650; Bell & Columbus 2008 Syst Bot 33:536--551 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Previous taxon: Distichlis Next taxon: Distichlis spicata
Botanical illustration including Distichlis littoralis
Citation for this treatment: Hester L. Bell 2012, Distichlis littoralis, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=89287, accessed on April 19, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 19, 2024.
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