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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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| CALIFORNIA OATGRASS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Danthonia californica | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| California oatgrass grows as tall as 90 cm from fibrous roots. The stems are tufted and tend to break at the nodes when mature. The leaves are 10 to 30 cm long and 1 to 3 mm wide. The uppermost leaves are divergent when mature. The inflorescence is narrow but branched. The flower stalks on the lowest branches are longer than the spikelets and are frequently crinkled. The lemma has a bent, twisted awn. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| California oatgrass grows on open, upland meadow slopes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland and Mixed Grassland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| California oatgrass 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. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CALIFORNIA OATGRASS | |||||||||
| * Is the awn bent and twisted? * Are the lower flower stalks crinkled and longer than the spikelets? * Does the stem break at the nodes when mature? * Did you find in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found California oatgrass! | |||||||||
