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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GRASS FAMILY | ||
| The grass family is economically
and ecologically important. Many of the world’s crops are products
of the grasses. In addition, grasses are represented in almost all terrestrial
ecosystems and are an important part of the natural food chain. The grasses have a set of structures unique to the family. These plants can be annual or perennial and are usually herbaceous. The roots are fibrous, but rhizomes or runners may be found in some species. The stems are solitary or tufted, and may be branched. The stems are round with hollow internodes and solid nodes. The leaves are basal or on the stem. The stem leaves are 2-ranked, meaning they are in two vertical rows and are sheathing at the base. A ligule is present where the leaf sheath and the blade meet. The florets are in spikelets which are then arranged into clusters called spikes, racemes, or panicles. The spikelets usually have two glumes at the base and may be one to several-flowered. Sometimes there are sterile florets, which may consist only of the palea and lemma, present above or below the fertile florets. The florets are usually perfect, meaning that they have both male and female parts. The lemma and palea are the two bracts that subtend each floret. The lemma may be awnless or awned from the tip or the back. Each fertile floret has between one and three stamens and one superior ovary with a feathery stigma. The fruit type is a caryopsis or grain and is unique to the grass family. |
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| BOREAL ALOPECURUS | ||
| LATIN NAME: Alopecurus alpinus | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Boreal alopecurus grows up to 60 cm tall from a short, creeping rhizome. The stem is erect or bent at the base. The upper leaf sheaths are slightly inflated. The inflorescence appears unbranched and is soft and woolly to the touch due to the hairs on the glumes. The lemma is shorter than the glumes and has an awn attached near the base. The awn can be straight or bent. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Boreal alopecurus is found in moist woods and thickets. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Boreal alopecurus is endangered because of extreme rarity in Saskatchewan. It is restricted to one subregion of the province. No immediate threats are known but are possible in the future. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BOREAL ALOPECURUS | ||
| * Is the inflorescence soft and woolly? * Is an awn present? * Are the upper leaf sheaths somewhat inflated? * Did you find in the Cypress Hills Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found boreal alopecurus! | ||
