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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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| PRAIRIE DROPSEED | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Sporobolus heterolepis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Prairie dropseed grows to 80 cm tall from a fibrous root. The stems are tufted and erect. The leaves are as long as 30 cm and are less than 2.5 mm wide. The branched inflorescences are terminal and lateral and are pyramidal in shape. The florets are hairless and awnless. The fruit is light brown and shiny. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Prairie dropseed grows in open grasslands. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in east-central Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Prairie dropseed is endangered because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. This species is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY PRAIRIE DROPSEED | |||||||||
| * Are the spikelets yellowish or purple-tinged? * Are the florets awnless and hairless? * Are the stems and leaves delicate and wiry? * Did you find in east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found prairie dropseed! | |||||||||
