Achnatherum robustum |
Achnatherum thurberianum |
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sleepy grass |
Thurber's needlegrass, Thurber's rice grass |
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Habit | Plants cespitose, not rhizomatous. | Plants cespitose, not rhizomatous. |
Culms | 100-230 cm tall, 2-4.5 mm thick, mostly glabrous, often pubescent below the nodes, the pubescence antrorse or retrorse; nodes 4-5. |
30-75 cm tall, 0.5-1.7 mm thick, internodes pubescent or glabrous, pubescence more common on the lower internodes, particularly just below the nodes; nodes 2-3, lower nodes retrorsely pubescent, upper nodes glabrous or pubescent. |
Panicles | 15-30 cm long, 0.8-3.5 cm wide; branches straight, appressed to ascending, lower branches 3-9 cm. |
7-15 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm wide, often included in the upper leaf sheaths at the start of anthesis; branches 1.5-6 cm, appressed to strongly ascending, with 1-6 spikelets. |
Spikelets | appressed to the branches. |
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Glumes | subequal, 9-11.5 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide; florets 5.9-8.5 mm long, 0.9-1.2 mm thick, fusiform, terete; calluses 0.3-1 mm, blunt; lemmas evenly hairy, hairs at midlength 0.3-0.8 mm, apical hairs to 1.5 mm; awns 20-32 mm, persistent, twice-geniculate, scabridulous to scabrous, scabrules to about 0.1 mm, longest on the middle segment, terminal segment straight; paleas 3.7-5.6 mm, 2/3 - 3/4 as long as the lemmas, hairy, hairs about 0.5 mm, not exceeding the apices, veins terminating below the apices, apices rounded; anthers 4-5 mm, dehiscent, penicillate. |
often purplish; lower glumes 10-15 mm long, 1.2-2 mm wide; upper glumes to 2 mm shorter; florets 6-9 mm long, 0.7-1.2 mm thick, fusiform, terete; calluses 0.9-1.5 mm, sharp; lemmas coriaceous, evenly pubescent or the back glabrate distally, hairs 0.5-0.8 mm, apices lobed on 1 margin, lobe about 0.1 mm long, thick, apical lemma hairs 0.5-0.8 mm; awns 32-56 mm, twice-geniculate, first 2 segments pilose, hairs 0.8-2 mm, terminal segment glabrous, often scabrous; paleas 4.6-6.1 mm, 3/4 - 9/10 as long as the lemmas, sparsely pubescent towards the base; anthers 2.5-3.5 mm, dehiscent, not penicillate. |
Caryopses | 5-6 mm. |
5-7 mm, fusiform. |
Basal | sheaths mostly glabrous, margins usually ciliate distaily; collars hairy, those of the flag leaves densely hairy, hairs 0.5-2 mm, sides glabrous; basal ligules 1-2 mm; upper ligules to 4 mm, truncate, rounded, or obtuse, glabrous; blades 6-10 mm wide, glabrous, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces prominently ribbed, ribs scabrous. |
sheaths glabrous, usually smooth, brown or gray-brown; collars glabrous, without tufts of hair at the sides; basal ligules 1.5-6 mm, hyaline, rounded to acute, lacerate; upper ligules to 8 mm, hyaline, acute, glabrous; blades 0.5-2 mm wide, convolute, abaxial surfaces scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or hairy, hairs about 0.3 mm. |
2n | = 64. |
=34. |
Achnatherum robustum |
Achnatherum thurberianum |
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Distribution |
AZ; CO; KS; NE; NM; SD; TX; WY
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CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY
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Discussion | Achnatherum robustum grows on dry plains and hills, in open woods and forest clearings, and along roadsides, from Wyoming through Colorado to Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Records from Kansas represent recent introductions; it is not clear whether the species has persisted there. Achnatherum robustum is sometimes confused with A. nelsonii subsp. dorei and Nassella viridula; it differs from both in the densely hairy collars of its flag leaves. Although not widely available, it has potential as an ornamental grass, particularly in arid regions with cold winters. The English-language name refers to the effect some samples, particularly those from the Sacramento and Sierra Blanca mountains, New Mexico, have on livestock, especially horses and cattle. "Mildly poisoned animals are dejected, inactive, and withdrawn; severely poisoned animals lie on their sides in a profound slumber" (Cheeke and Shull 1985). The active ingredient is diacetone alcohol (Epstein et al 1964). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Achnatherum thurberianum grows in canyons and foothills, primarily in sagebrush desert and juniper woodland associations, from Washington to southern Idaho and southwestern Montana and from California to Utah, at 900-3000 m. Its long ligules and pilose awns make it one of the easier North American species of Achnatherum to identify. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 129. | FNA vol. 24, p. 125. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Stipeae > Achnatherum | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Stipeae > Achnatherum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Stipa vaseyi, Stipa robusta | Stipa thurberiana |
Name authority | (Vasey) Barkworth | (Piper) Barkworth |
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