OregonFlora: Thinopyrum intermedium

	Thinopyrum intermedium
	intermediate wheatgrass
Habit	Plants perennial, 50–115 cm tall; rhizomatous, glaucous.
Culms	glabrous or hairy or occasionally hairy only at the nodes; lowest internode including sheath approximately 3 mm thick.
Leaves	ligules 0.1–0.8 mm; blades flat, 2–8 mm wide.
Inflorescences	spikes 8–21 cm; middle internodes 7–12 mm; inflorescence axes pubescent.
Spikelets	11–18 mm, 3–10 florets.
Glumes	glabrous or with appressed hairs; midvein usually more prominent and longer than the lateral veins; tips obliquely truncate or obtuse to acute or occasionally short-pointed; lower glumes 4.5–7.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, 5–6-veined; upper glumes 5.5–8 × 2–3 mm, 5–7-veined.
Lowest lemmas	7.5–10 mm, glabrous or with hairs 1–1.5 mm; lemma awns; if present; to 5 mm.
Anthers	5–7 mm.

	Thinopyrum intermedium
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	2 subspecies. Tinopyrum intermedium is a strongly rhizomatous wheatgrass often notable for its bluish coloration. It can be distinguished from other rhizomatous, nearly awnless wheatgrasses by its thick, sti? glumes. In the feld, the rhizomatous growth form is obvious, but this may be hard to determine on collected specimens because the shoots are sometimes clustered, and the narrow rhizomes are often not collected.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 484 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Sibling taxa	T. junceum, T. ponticum, T. ponticum x Triticum aestivum, T. pycnanthum
Subordinate taxa	T. intermedium ssp. barbulatum, T. intermedium ssp. intermedium
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Thinopyrum intermedium

intermediate wheatgrass

Habit

Plants perennial, 50–115 cm tall; rhizomatous, glaucous.

Culms

glabrous or hairy or occasionally hairy only at the nodes; lowest internode including sheath approximately 3 mm thick.

Leaves

ligules 0.1–0.8 mm;

blades flat, 2–8 mm wide.

Inflorescences

spikes 8–21 cm; middle internodes 7–12 mm; inflorescence axes pubescent.

Spikelets

11–18 mm, 3–10 florets.

Glumes

glabrous or with appressed hairs;

midvein usually more prominent and longer than the lateral veins;

tips obliquely truncate or obtuse to acute or occasionally short-pointed;

lower glumes 4.5–7.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, 5–6-veined;

upper glumes 5.5–8 × 2–3 mm, 5–7-veined.

Lowest lemmas

7.5–10 mm, glabrous or with hairs 1–1.5 mm;

lemma awns; if present; to 5 mm.

Anthers

5–7 mm.

Thinopyrum intermedium

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

2 subspecies.

Tinopyrum intermedium is a strongly rhizomatous wheatgrass often notable for its bluish coloration. It can be distinguished from other rhizomatous, nearly awnless wheatgrasses by its thick, sti? glumes. In the feld, the rhizomatous growth form is obvious, but this may be hard to determine on collected specimens because the shoots are sometimes clustered, and the narrow rhizomes are often not collected.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 484
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa

T. junceum, T. ponticum, T. ponticum x Triticum aestivum, T. pycnanthum

Subordinate taxa

T. intermedium ssp. barbulatum, T. intermedium ssp. intermedium

Web links