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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE DITCHGRASS FAMILY | |||||||||
| The ditchgrass family only has one genus and about 10 species. This is a family of submersed aquatic herbs. The leaves are linear, simple and sessile. The leaf sheaths are often brownish or cream-coloured and may be papery in texture. The flowers are in terminal head-like spikes that turn into umbrella-like spikes in fruit. The inflorescence stalk gets longer and often coils after the flowers have been fertilized. The flowers do not have sepals or petals and are very small. The fruit is one-seeded and slightly fleshy. | |||||||||
| WESTERN DITCHGRASS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Ruppia cirrhosa | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Western ditchgrass has a stem up to 55 cm long and less than 1 mm wide. The leaves are often in fan-like clusters. The flowering spikes are head-like with a few, small flowers. The flowers lack sepals and petals and have two stamens and a simple ovary. In fruit, the inflorescence stalk lengthens and coils up to 30 times. The fruiting inflorescence is umbrella-like. The fruits are olive in colour and may be dotted with red. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Western ditchgrass grows submersed in lakes, ponds or sloughs. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southern and central Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Western ditchgrass is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. Population sizes vary. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. This species is likely commonly overlooked because of its aquatic habit and similarities to some of the pondweed species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WESTERN DITCHGRASS | |||||||||
| * Are the plants underwater? * Are the fruiting inflorescences umbrella-like? * Are the inflorescence stalks coiled in fruit? * Did you find it in southern or central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found western ditchgrass! | |||||||||
