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Vascular Plants of California
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Melica frutescens

WOODY MELIC


Higher Taxonomy
Family: Poaceae (Gramineae)View DescriptionDichotomous Key
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.
Genus: MelicaView DescriptionDichotomous Key


Common Name: ONIONGRASS, MELIC
Habit: Perennial herb, generally cespitose, rhizomed or not, corms present or 0. Stem: generally erect. Leaf: +- basal; sheath closed to near top, glabrous to short-hairy; ligule thin, membranous, tip obtuse to truncate, generally jagged; blade flat, veins inconspicuous. Inflorescence: raceme- or panicle-like, generally appressed to main axis. Spikelet: glumes papery, translucent, back rounded, tip rounded, lower glume 3--5-veined, upper 1--3-veined; axis generally breaking above glumes; lower florets bisexual, 1--7, uppermost florets sterile, +- densely clustered at axis tip; lemma +- like glumes, prominently 5--7-veined, veins not converging, base occasionally red; palea < lemma. Chromosomes: n=9 in all California taxa.
Etymology: (Latin: honey, or old Italian name for plant with sweet sap)
eFlora Treatment Author: Susan J. Bainbridge
Reference: Barkworth 2007 FNANM 27:88--102
Melica frutescens Scribn.
NATIVE
Stem: 4--20 dm, generally branching at basal nodes; corm 0. Leaf: 3--5 per stem; ligule 2--8 mm; blade 3--9 cm, 1.5--5 mm wide. Inflorescence: 12--40 cm; branches appressed; spikelets 4--15 per branch. Spikelet: 9--18 mm; glumes persistent, lower 7--12 mm, 8--15 mm, translucent margin 2.5--3.5 mm wide; bisexual florets 3--5; lemma 8--11 mm, glabrous, tip round to acute; palea 1/2--3/4 lemma; sterile cluster 2--5 mm, truncate, concealed by uppermost bisexual floret.
Ecology: Dry slopes, scrub, chaparral, woodland; Elevation: 300--1500 m. Bioregional Distribution: s SNF, Teh, s SCoRO, SCo, WTR, PR, W&I, D; Distribution Outside California: Arizona, Baja California. Flowering Time: Mar--May
Jepson eFlora Author: Susan J. Bainbridge
Reference: Barkworth 2007 FNANM 27:88--102
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

Previous taxon: Melica californica
Next taxon: Melica fugax


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Citation for this treatment: Susan J. Bainbridge 2012, Melica frutescens, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=33076, accessed on December 03, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on December 03, 2024.

Melica frutescens
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©2022 Neal Kramer
Melica frutescens
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©2014 Keir Morse
Melica frutescens
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©2014 Keir Morse
Melica frutescens
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©2014 Keir Morse
Melica frutescens
click for image enlargement
©2022 Neal Kramer

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Geographic subdivisions for Melica frutescens:
s SNF, Teh, s SCoRO, SCo, WTR, PR, W&I, D
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map of distribution 1

(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 occurrence).






 

Data provided by the participants of the  Consortium of California Herbaria.

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View all CCH records
All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window.
Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
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CCH collections by month Flowering-Fruiting Monthly Counts

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).