Danthonia spicata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 20–80 cm long; disarticulating at the nodes. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous; with simple hairs, or tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled, or flexuous; filiform; flat, or involute; 7–15 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 2–5 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–3 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 10–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 10–13 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10–13 mm long; 2.6–2.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 3.5–5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.25 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 5–7 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; glabrous. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Cleistogenes present; in lower sheaths.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico.

NOTES Arundineae. Gould 1993.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.