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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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| LEIBERG’S PANICGRASS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Dichanthelium leibergii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Leiberg’s panicgrass grows as tall as 60 cm from knotty rhizomes. The stems are solitary or tufted and bent near the base. The stem is rough hairy or long-hairy. The leaves are in basal rosettes and on the stem and the two leaf types are different in appearance. The stem leaves are oval to lance-shaped with a square to heart-shaped base. The leaf sheaths are shorter than the internodes and are not overlapping. The ligule is membranous. The inflorescence is branched and often does not fully come out of the leaf sheath. The spikelets are 3 to 4 mm long and the lowest floret is usually male-flowered. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Leiberg’s panicgrass grows in prairies, meadows, and open woods. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in eastern Saskatchewan in the Aspen Parkland and Churchill River Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY LEIBERG’S PANICGRASS | |||||||||
| * Is the stem bent at the base and long or rough-hairy? * Are the lowest florets male-flowered? * Is the ligule membranous? * Did you find in eastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Leiberg’s panicgrass! | |||||||||
