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bulbous oniongrass, onion grass, western onion grass

little melic, little oniongrass, small melic grass, small onion grass

Habit Plants loosely cespitose, rhizomatous. Plants cespitose, not rhizomatous.
Culms

29-100 cm, forming corms, corms almost sessile on the connecting rhizomes;

internodes scabridulous above the nodes.

10-60 cm, forming corms;

internodes smooth or scabridulous.

Sheaths

usually scabridulous, sometimes sparsely pilose;

ligules 2-6 mm;

blades 1.5-5 mm wide, abaxial surfaces scabridulous, adaxial surfaces with hairs.

scabridulous to scabrous;

ligules 0.5-2.6 mm;

blades 1.2-5 mm wide, sometimes pilose on both surfaces.

Panicles

7-30 cm;

branches 2-6.5 cm, appressed, usually straight, with 1-5 spikelets;

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

4.5-18 cm;

branches 0.8-4 cm, appressed to ascending, with 1-5 spikelets;

pedicels straight.

Spikelets

6-24 mm, with 4-7 bisexual florets, base of the distal florets concealed at anthesis;

rachilla internodes 1-2 mm, not swollen when fresh, not wrinkled when dry.

4-17 mm, with 2-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 2.1-2.3 mm, swollen when fresh, wrinkled when dry;

disarticulation above the glumes.

Glumes

from (1/2)2/3 as long as to equaling the spikelets;

lower glumes 5.5-10.5 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 6-14 mm long, 2.3-3.5 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

lemmas 6-12 mm, glabrous, smooth or scabrous, 7-11-veined, veins prominent, apices emarginate to acute, unawned;

paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 3, 1.5-4 mm;

rudiments 1.5-5 mm, truncate to tapering, sometimes resembling the bisexual florets in shape.

Lower glumes

3-5 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, 1-3-veined;

upper glumes 3.5-7 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide, 5-veined;

lemmas 4-7 mm, glabrous or scabrous, 4-11-veined, veins inconspicuous, apices rounded to acute, unawned;

paleas almost as long as the lemmas;

anthers 3, 1-2 mm;

rudiments 1.5-3.5 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets.

2n

=18.

=18.

Melica bulbosa

Melica fugax

Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; SD; TX; UT; WA; WY; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Melica bulbosa grows from 1370-3400 m, mostly in open woods on dry, well-drained slopes and along streams. It is restricted to the western half of the Flora region. Two records from Texas, in Jeff Davis and Sutton counties, have not been verified.

Melica bulbosa differs from M. spectabilis in its sessile corm and longer glumes. In addition, in M. bulbosa the spikelets have purplish bands which appear to be concentrated towards the apices; in M. spectabilis the bands appear more regularly spaced. It differs from M. californica in its more narrowly acute spikelets, more strongly colored lemmas, and lack of corms, and from M. fugax in not having swollen rachilla internodes.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Melica fugax grows at elevations to 2200 m on dry, open flats, hillsides, and woods, from British Columbia to California and east to Idaho and Nevada. It is usually found on soils of volcanic origin, and rarely below 1300 m. Melica fugax is often confused with M. bulbosa, but its rachilla internodes are unmistakable and unique among the species in the Flora region, being swollen when fresh and wrinkled when dry. One specimen, C.L. Hitchcock 15521 [WTU 114265] from Elmore County, Idaho, appears to be a hybrid. It has shrunken caryopses and combines the rachilla of M. fugax with the lemma pubescence, size, and overall appearance of M. subulata, but lacks corms.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 91. FNA vol. 24, p. 97.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Meliceae > Melica Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Meliceae > Melica
Sibling taxa
M. altissima, M. aristata, M. californica, M. ciliata, M. frutescens, M. fugax, M. geyeri, M. harfordii, M. imperfecta, M. montezumae, M. mutica, M. nitens, M. porteri, M. smithii, M. spectabilis, M. stricta, M. subulata, M. torreyana
M. altissima, M. aristata, M. bulbosa, M. californica, M. ciliata, M. frutescens, M. geyeri, M. harfordii, M. imperfecta, M. montezumae, M. mutica, M. nitens, M. porteri, M. smithii, M. spectabilis, M. stricta, M. subulata, M. torreyana
Synonyms M. bulbosa var. intonsa, M. bulbosa var. inflata, Bromelica bulbosa
Name authority Geyer ex Porter & J.M. Coult. Bol.
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