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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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| COMMON NAME | ||
| LATIN NAME: Alopecurus carolinianus | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Tufted meadow-foxtail grows up to 45 cm tall from a short, creeping rhizome. The stems are tufted and can be stiffly erect to bent at the base. The leaf blades are rigid and the lower surface is rough hairy. The inflorescence is compact and appears unbranched. It is 1 to 5 cm long and 2 to 5 mm wide. The glumes are 2 to 3 mm long and are slightly fused at the base. Unlike some of its close relatives, the glumes are only hairy on the nerves versus densely woolly hairy all over. The lemma has an awn that is attached from well below the middle. The awn is usually bent. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Tufted meadow-foxtail grows in dry sloughs, creek bottoms, and mudflats. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland, and Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Tufted meadow-foxtail is endangered because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is regionally restricted to one general region of the province. Possible threats include occurring in heavily populated areas, fragile habitats, or areas of possible developments. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY TUFTED MEADOW-FOXTAIL | ||
| * Is the inflorescence only up to 0.5 cm wide? * Is an awn present and bent? * Are the leaves stiff and rough hairy underneath? * Did you find in southern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have tufted meadow-foxtail! | ||
