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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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| SLIMLEAF PANICGRASS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Dichanthelium linearifolium | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Slimleaf panicgrass grows as tall as 60 cm from fibrous roots. The stem is slender with long internodes and hairy nodes. The stem is erect or drooping. The basal leaves are not much different from the stem leaves. The sheaths are longer than the internodes and have hairs will swollen bases. The ligule is a fringe of hairs. The inflorescence is branched and is longer than it is wide. The inflorescences typically have 12 to 70 sparsely hairy spikelets. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Slimleaf panicgrass grows dry woods and sandy open places. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in central Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Slimleaf panicgrass is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and has only been confirmed in one location. The population is small and possible threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WESTERN PANICGRASS | |||||||||
| *Are the stem leaves and basal leaves similar? * Are the leaf sheaths longer than the internodes? * Is the ligule a ring of hairs? * Did you find in central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found slimleaf panicgrass! | |||||||||
