Species: Danthonia californica Boland.

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Danthonia californica Boland.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Poaceae

Genus:

Danthonia

Species Synonyms:

Danthonia americana Scribn.
Danthonia californica var. americana (Scribn.) A.S. Hitchc.
Danthonia californica var. palousensis St. John
Danthonia californica var. piperi St. John

Common Names:

California oatgrass

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southern British Columbia – southern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills – Swift Current

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

open, upland meadow slopes

Associated Species:

Carex brevior, Dasiphora floribunda, Festuca hallii, Poa secunda, Polygonum polygaloides ssp. confertiflorum, Potentilla gracilis, Zigadenus venenosus

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Danthonia californica is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. It is somewhat regionally restricted and population sizes vary. Possible threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

30 – 90 cm tall

Roots:

fibrous, rhizomes lacking

Stems:

caespitose, glabrous, tending to break at the nodes

Leaves:

10 – 30 cm long, 1 – 3 mm wide, flat or involute, uppermost leaves strongly divergent to reflexed at maturity, glabrous to sparsely pilose; sheaths glabrous; ligules of hairs

Inflorescence:

panicle 3 – 8 cm long, racemose; branches slender, erect or spreading, flexible; pedicels on lowest branch longer than spikelets, may be crinkled

Spikelets:

spikelets 2 – 5, 2 – 2.5 cm long

Florets:

glumes 1 – 1.5 cm long; callus pilose; lemma 8 – 10 mm long, apical teeth aristate; lemma awn 1.5 – 2 cm long, twisted, geniculate

Fruits:

caryopsis

DANTHONIA KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Lemmas 2.5 – 6 mm long, pilose	D. spicata
1 Lemmas 3 – 11 mm long, pilose or glabrous	2

2 Lower inflorescence branches stiff; pedicels shorter than to as long as spikelets	3
2 Lower inflorescence branches flexible; pedicels generally longer than spikelets	4

3 Spikelets 1 (rarely 2); lemmas 5.5 – 11 mm; mature culms disarticulating at the nodes, rarely more than 25 cm tall	D. unispicata
3 Spikelets 5 – 10 in a panicle; lemmas 3 – 6 mm long; mature culms not disarticulating at the nodes, usually more than 25 cm tall	D. intermedia

4 Uppermost cauline leaves divergent at maturity; inflorescence racemose; glumes about 1 cm long	D. californica
4 Uppermost cauline leaves erect to ascending; inflorescence paniculate; glumes about 2 cm long	D. parryi