docMajor Grass Genera
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Major Grass Genera
MAJOR GRASS GENERA Illustrated Agropyron wheat grasses Elymus repens (formerly Agropyron) quack grass FIELD ID: 1) Cespitose 2) Multiple flowered spikelets in true spikes 3) Spike internodes < 3 mm Agropyron cristatum crested wheat grass Agrostis bentgrasses FIELD ID: 1) Often extensively rhizomatous / stoloniferous 2) Very small-flowered (one-floret per spikelet) Agrostis stolonifera Aira hair grasses FIELD ID: 1) Annual 2) Two flowers per spikelet, both with awned lemmas Alopecurus meadow-foxtails Alopecurus aequalis FIELD ID: 1) Dense, cylindrical spike-like panicle 2) Spikelets 1-flowered 3) Glumes hairy, especially on keel 4) Lemmas awned from mid-length or below Alopecurus pratensis Anthoxanthum vernal grasses FIELD ID: 1) Two sterile lemmas bifid, hairy, awned from below mid-length 2) Coumarin (benzopyrone), an appetite suppressant and anti-coagulant 3) Cespitose Anthoxanthum odoratum Arrhenatherum oat grasses FIELD ID: 1) Two-flowered, lower staminate 2) Lower lemma with bent twisted awn 3) Cespitose, tall 4) Glumes golden-translucent Arrhenatherum elatius Bromus brome grasses Bromus ciliatus FIELD ID: 1) Lemmas bifid, with terminal awn 2) Closed sheaths Bromus tectorum cheat Historical Movement of Cheat How does cheat grass spread? 1) Winter annual (jump start on growth) 2) Dies early in the year 3) Wildlife and livestock only graze it during the early season 4) Some ranchers planted it thinking they could get an early season of grass production 5) Thrives in disturbed sites Calamagrostis reed grasses FIELD ID: 1) One-flowered spikelet 2) Lemma awned from mid-length or below 3) Callus bearded Dactylis orchard grasses Dactylis glomerata FIELD ID: 1) Closed sheaths 2) Flattened culms, blue-ish 3) Blue-ish leaves and culms 4) Cespitose, tall 5) Spikelets crowded to one side of panicle Dactylis glomerata Deschampsia hair grasses Deschampsia cespitosa FIELD ID: 1) Two-flowered spikelets 2) Both lemmas awned at or below mid-length 3) Callus of both lemmas bearded 4) Cespitose Vahlodea mountain hair grasses V. atropurpurea FIELD ID: 1) Like Deschampsia but… 2) Cauline leaves (rather than basal) and 3) Rachilla does not extend more than 0.5 mm beyond distal floret Digitaria crabgrasses Digitaria sanguinalis FIELD ID: 1) Spikelets dorso-ventrally compressed 2) Two-flowered, lower sterile with missing or reduced glume 3) Inflorescence a panicle with few digitate branches 4) Annuals Distichlis salt grasses Distichlis spicata FIELD ID: 1) Species dioecious 2) Leaves presented stiffly distichously 3) Strongly rhizomatous 4) Ligule membranous but with a fringe of hairs 5) D. stricta in Eastern WA Echinochloa barnyard grasses Echinochloa crus-galli FIELD ID: 1) Ligule absent 2) Spikelets dorso-ventrally compressed 3) Two-flowered, lower sterile or staminate 4) First lemma hard, similar to second glume 5) First lemma gen with terminal awn 6) Panicle with few branches 7) Annuals Festuca fescues Vulpia (fomerly Festuca) “annual fescues” Vulpia myuros rat-tail fescue Schedonorus (fomerly Festuca) S. arundinaceus tall fescue C Richard Old ciliated auricles Glyceria manna grasses FIELD ID: 1) Spikelets often dorso-ventrally compressed 2) Lemmas with non-converging veins 3) Often extensively rhizomatous 4) Wet habitats Glyceria grandis Glyceria grandis Holcus velvet grasses FIELD ID: 1) Two-flowered, lower lemma unawned 2) Upper lemma with awn Leymus (some species formerly Elymus; these with awl-like glumes) FIELD ID: 1) True spikes with two spiklets per node (sometimes more) 2) Glumes awl-like or lanceolate Leymus mollis American dune grass Ammophila arenaria European beach grass FIELD ID: 1) Spikelets in spikelike panicles 2) One-flowered spikelets 3) Strand habitats Lolium ryegrasses FIELD ID: 1) True spikes 2) One spikelet per node, edge-wise to rachis 3) Second glume absent Melica onion-grasses FIELD ID: 1) Glumes/lemmas often rounded on back 2) Lemmas with non-converging veins 3) Closed sheaths Phalaris canarygrasses FIELD ID: 1) Three-flowered spikelets, with lower two sterile and reduced to “pipe cleaners” 2) Aggressively rhizomatous; robust, tall Phleum timothy grasses Timothy hay was WA’s 6th top commodity by value behind apples, milk, wheat, potatoes, and cattle/calves ($442 M, 2009). FIELD ID: 1) Spikelets strongly compressed 2) Stout awns on glumes presented like “Batman” ears; 3) Keel of glumes with stout, stiff cilia 4) Cespitose FIELD ID: 1) Spikelets with 2-5 flowers often pinkish tinged 2) Lemmas often (not always) with cobwebby hairs 3) Highly variable, difficult taxon Poa bluegrasses Poa compressa Poa pratensis Poa The “Weird” Poa’s Poa annua (no or very few cobwebby hairs on lemma) Poa bulbosa: (vegetative proliferation = bulbil formation) Puccinellia alkali grasses FIELD ID: 1) Lemmas with non-converging veins 2) Wet habitats 3) Open sheaths Spartina cord grasses FIELD ID: 1) Ligule a fringe of hairs 2) Saltmarsh, mudflat, or alkaline habitats 3) Aggressively rhizomatous (some)
