Species: Dichanthelium leibergii (Vasey) Freckmann

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Dichanthelium leibergii (Vasey) Freckmann

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Anacardiaceae

Genus:

Dichanthelium

Species Synonyms:

Panicum scoparium var. leibergii Vasey
Panicum scribnerianum var. leibergii (Vasey) Scribn.
Panicum leibergii (Vasey) Scribn.
Panicum leibergii var. baldwinii Lepage

Common Names:

Leiberg’s panicgrass
Leiberg’s panicum
Leiberg’s rosettegrass

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

central Alberta, eastern Saskatchewan – Manitoba – southwestern Ontario

Saskatchewan:

eastern Saskatchewan; Qu’Appelle River Valley, Amisk Lake

Ecoregion:

Aspen Parkland, Churchill River Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

prairies, meadows, and open woods

Associated Species:

blunt sedge, manyflowered aster

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Leiberg’s panicgrass is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare. Most local populations are small and possible threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

30 – 60 cm

Roots:

rhizomes knotty, no more than 2 mm thick

Stems:

solitary or tufted, erect or ascending, branching mostly from the base in the autumnal phase, bent below, long-hairy to rough-hairy

Leaves:

basal rosettes well-differentiated; stem leaves few, 3 – 11 cm long, 4 – 12 mm wide, oval to lance-shaped, base square to heart-shaped, prominent veins 9 – 11, hairs with swollen bases, hairs stiff to nearly hairless; sheaths shorter than internodes, not overlapping, stiff hairy; ligule 0.3 – 0.5 mm long, membranous, marginal hairs

Inflorescence:

branched, 5 – 10 cm long, 3 – 5 cm wide, often not fully exserted from sheath, branches spreading to ascending

Spikelets:

spikelets 20 – 40, 3 – 4 mm long, long-hairy; lower floret usually male-flowered

Florets:

glumes unequal, first glume 1.5 – 2.5 mm long, second glume 2.5 – 3.5 mm long; lemma 2. 5 – 3.5 mm long; palea prominent, 2 – 3 mm long

Fruits:

caryopsis

Other:

autumn phase a few erect branches from middle and lower nodes; winter phase a rosette of leaves; spring phase of simple flowering stems

DICHANTHELIUM KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Basal leaves similar in shape to stem leaves	2
1 Basal leaves well-differentiated from stem leaves	3

2 All stem leaves 4 – 8 cm long, similar, leaves distributed more or less evenly up the stem	D. wilcoxianum
2 Upper stem leaves 10 – 20 cm long, distinctly longer than lower leaves, main stem leaves rather prominently basally distributed	D. linearifolium

3 Ligules of hairs; spikelets less than 2.5 mm long	D. acuminatum var. fasciculatum
3 Ligules membranous; spikelets more than 2.5 mm long	4

4 Leaves and spikelets with basally swollen hairs; inflorescences slightly longer than wide	D. leibergii
4 Leaves hairless; spikelets slightly hairy to almost hairless; inflorescences usually more than twice as long as wide	D. xanthophysum