Melica montezumae
Melica altissima
Montezuma melic, Montezuma melicgrass
Siberian melic, Siberian melicgrass, tall melic
14-100 cm, not forming corms;
internodes smooth.
60-250 cm, not forming corms, scabrous below the panicles.
glabrous or scabrous;
ligules 2.5-7 mm;
blades 1.2-3 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous, scabridulous, adaxial surfaces puberulent.
retrorsely scabridulous;
ligules 3-5 mm;
blades to 20 cm long, 5-15 mm wide, flat, lax.
5-25 cm;
branches 1-5 cm, appressed to reflexed, straight, with 2-9 spikelets;
pedicels sharply bent below the spikelets;
disarticulation below the glumes.
10-20 cm long, 1-2(5) cm wide, cylindrical, pale or purplish;
branches about 3 cm, strongly ascending to appressed, often with 15+ spikelets;
pedicels sharply bent below the spikelets;
disarticulation below the glumes.
6-8 mm, with 1 bisexual floret.
7-11 mm, with 1-2(3) bisexual florets.
subequal in length and similar in shape, 7-10.5 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, glabrous, ovate-elliptic, obtuse to acute, ivory or purple, 7-veined;
lemmas 7-11 mm, glabrous, scabridulous, 9-13-veined, scarious, apices acute;
paleas about 2/3 the length of the lemmas;
rudiments 2.5-3 mm, pyriform.
5.5-8 mm long, 1.8-3 mm wide, 5-veined;
upper glumes 5-8 mm long, 0.7-1.5 mm wide, 3-5-veined;
lemmas 4.5-8 mm, 9-15-veined, veins prominent, tuberculate, proximal portion with flat, twisted hairs, distal portion glabrous, chartaceous, apices emarginate to acute, unawned;
paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas;
anthers 1.5-3 mm;
rudiments 2-3 mm, obovoid or obconic, clublike, not resembling the bisexual florets.
about 3 mm.
= 18.
= 18.
Melica montezumae
Melica altissima
Melica montezumae grows primarily in shady locations in the mountains of western Texas and adjacent Mexico.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Melica altissima is native to Eurasia. It is grown as an ornamental in North America and is reported to have escaped and become established in Oklahoma and Ontario. In its native region, it grows on the moist soils of shrubby thickets and forest edges, and on rocky slopes. Plants with dark purple glumes and lemmas can be called M. altissima var. atropurpurea Host.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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