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POACEAE

GRASS FAMILY

James P. Smith, Jr., except as specified

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.

TUCTORIA

John R. Reeder

Annual, ± hairy
Stems ascending to erect, unbranched, often fragile, easily breaking apart at nodes
Leaves basal and cauline; collar 0; sheath and blade continuous; blade flat or becoming inrolled when dry
Inflorescence spike-like, partly enclosed by upper sheath or exserted with age; spikelets spirally arranged on axis
Spikelet laterally compressed; glumes entire or irregularly short-toothed; florets 5–40, tardily breaking above glumes and between florets; lemmas entire or minutely toothed, generally with central sharp point, 11–17-veined; palea ± = lemma; anthers exserted, filaments slender, ribbon-like; stigmas 1/3–1/2 style length, sparsely short-hairy
Fruit obovoid or oblong
Species in genus: 3 species: CA, s Baja CA
Etymology: (Anagram of Orcuttia)
Reference: [Reeder 1982 Amer J Bot 69:1082–1095]

Native

T. mucronata (Crampton) Reeder

CRAMPTON'S TUCTORIA


Stem ascending, becoming decumbent, < 12 cm
Leaf 2–4 cm, curved outward, inrolled, tapered to fine point
Inflorescence 1.5–6 cm, ± enclosed in upper sheath; spikelets crowded
Spikelet: glumes 4–7 mm, subequal, short-pointed, sometimes with 1 or 2 short lateral teeth; florets 5–10; lemma 5–7 mm, tip with a few minute teeth, 11–15-veined, central vein ending in a sharp point < 1 mm; anthers ± 3 mm, yellow, drying pinkish
Fruit ± 3 mm, laterally flattened, widely oblong, smooth
Chromosomes: 2n=40
Ecology: Vernal pool, grassland
Elevation: < 150 m.
Bioregional distribution: sw Sacramento Valley (Solano Co.)
Synonyms: Orcuttia m. Crampton

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