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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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| CREEPING LOVEGRASS | ||
| LATIN NAME: Eragrostis hypnoides | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Creeping lovegrass is a mat-forming annual plant. The stems creep along the ground and often form roots at the nodes. The leaves are up to 5 cm long and 3 mm wide. The margins can be flat to rolled under. The ligules are made of hairs. The inflorescence is branched and up to 6 cm long. Each inflorescence contains several spikelets with 13 to 30 flowers. The glumes and the lemmas fall off at maturity. The lemmas have three nerves and are dry and membranous between the nerves. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Creeping lovegrass grows on muddy river shorelines. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Aspen Parkland ecoregion. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Creeping lovegrass is endangered because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is limited to one small region of the province. This species is usually locally numerous but within in limited areas. Immediate or probable threats have been identified. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CREEPING LOVEGRASS | ||
| * Are the stems creeping and rooting at the nodes? * Is the ligule hairy? * Are the lemmas three-nerved and dry and membranous between the nerves? * Did you find it in southeastern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found creeping lovegrass! | ||
