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.
Common Name: SEMAPHORE GRASS Habit: Annual, perennial herb. Stem: generally erect. Leaf: generally cauline; sheath margins fused > 1/2; ligule membranous; blade flat or folded, drooping. Inflorescence: raceme-like. Spikelet: bisexual; 1--8 cm; laterally compressed; glumes << lowest floret, translucent, lower 1-veined, upper 1--3-veined; breaking apart above glumes and beneath florets; florets 5--20; lemma 7--9-veined, veins prominent, not converging, extending to tip, awn (0)0.2--22 mm; palea +- = lemma, veins with appendages; anthers 3. Etymology: (Greek: side beard, from awn at palea base in some species) eFlora Treatment Author: Susan J. Bainbridge Reference: But 2007 FNANM 24:103--109, Novon 4:16--17 Unabridged Reference: But 1994 Novon 4:16--17
Pleuropogon refractus (A. Gray) Benth. ex Vasey
NATIVE Habit: Perennial herb from rhizomes. Stem: erect, 7--15 dm, often rooting at lower nodes. Leaf: ligule 2--9 mm; blade (3)5--14 mm wide. Inflorescence: (10)20--35 cm. Spikelet: (1.5)2.5--5 cm, reflexed at maturity; lower glume 3--7 mm, upper 4--9 mm; lemma 8--10.5 mm, awn 5--22 mm; palea appendages 0.2--0.6(1) mm. Chromosomes: 2n=32,36. Ecology: Wet meadows, shady banks; Elevation: < 1600 m. Bioregional Distribution: NCo, KR, NCoRO; Distribution Outside California: to British Columbia. Flowering Time: Apr--Jul Jepson eFlora Author: Susan J. Bainbridge Reference: But 2007 FNANM 24:103--109, Novon 4:16--17 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Listed on CNPS Rare Plant Inventory Previous taxon: Pleuropogon hooverianus Next taxon: Poa
Botanical illustration including Pleuropogon refractus
Citation for this treatment: Susan J. Bainbridge 2012, Pleuropogon refractus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=38716, accessed on April 23, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 23, 2024.
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(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).
Data provided by the participants of the
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CCH collections by month
Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).
