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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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| SIDEOATS GRAMA | ||
| LATIN NAME: Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Sideoats grama grows as tall as 70 cm from long rhizomes. The stems are solitary or in small clumps. The leaves are flat and about 1 to 2 mm wide. The inflorescence is branched and up to 30 cm long. The inflorescence is one-sided with 30 to 80 branches. The branches are reflexed and fall off as a unit. There are two to seven spikelets per branch. All the spikelets are alike and have one fertile floret and two sterile florets above. The glumes are unequal and are purple-tinged. The lemmas are 3-nerved and purple-tinged. The anthers are red or red-orange. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Sideoats grama grows on eroded or stony prairie slopes. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland and Aspen Parkland ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Sideoats grama is vulnerable but apparently secure, with numerous localities in Saskatchewan. It is restricted to one subregion of the province but it is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No immediate threats are know but quite possible in the future. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SIDEOATS GRAMA | ||
| * Are the anthers red or red-orange? * Do the spikelets have one fertile flower and two sterile flowers above? * Are the inflorescences one-sided? * Did you find in southeastern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found sideoats grama! | ||
