| 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.
Perennial, generally from rhizomes
Stems erect, sometimes tufted
Leaf: sheath appendaged; ligule membranous; blade flat or rolled
Inflorescence spike-like; axis generally not breaking apart in fruit; spikelets 2-ranked, strongly overlapping, ± appressed to axis, 1 per node
Spikelet: glumes thick, midvein generally prominent and scabrous at least above middle, tip truncate, obtuse, acute or short-awned; axis breaking above glumes and between florets; lemma generally awnless
Species in genus: 25 species: Medit Eur, Asia
Etymology: (Greek: from combination of Elymus and Triticum )
Reference: [Jarvie 1990 PhD dissertation UT State Univ]
Some species cultivated for forage, erosion control; some serious weeds. See Agropyron, Elymus, Pseudoroegneria.
| Introduced |
Stem 5–10 dm
Leaf: sheath generally glabrous or lowermost soft-hairy; blade 2–14 mm wide, veins of 2 kinds, some faint, others strongly ribbed, widely spaced
Inflorescence 8–20 cm
Spikelets 9–16 mm; florets 3–8; glumes generally with awn 0.5–4 mm, otherwise acute; lemmas 6–12 mm, tapering to point or awn 0.5–10 mm; anthers 4–5.5 mm
Chromosomes: 2n=42
Ecology: Weed in disturbed areas, cultivated fields
Elevation: < 1800 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province, Great Basin Floristic Province
Distribution outside California: to e US; native to Eurasia
Synonyms: Agropyron r. (L.) P. Beauv
Weedy.