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Montezuma melic, Montezuma melicgrass

Harford melic, Harford's melic, Harford's melic grass, Harford's oniongrass

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

14-100 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth.

35-120 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth.

Sheaths

glabrous or scabrous;

ligules 2.5-7 mm;

blades 1.2-3 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous, scabridulous, adaxial surfaces puberulent.

glabrous or pilose, often most pilose at the throat and collar;

ligules 0.5-1.5 mm;

blades 1.5-4.5 mm wide, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, glabrous or puberulent.

Panicles

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.

6-25 cm;

branches 3-8 cm, appressed, with 2-6 spikelets;

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

Spikelets

6-8 mm, with 1 bisexual floret.

7-20 mm, with 2-6 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 2-2.4 mm.

Glumes

obtuse to subacute;

lower glumes 4-10 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 5-11 mm long, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

lemmas 6-16 mm, hairy, hairs to 0.75 mm on the back, 0.7-1.3 mm on the margins, 9-11-veined, veins inconspicuous, apices mucronate to rounded, usually awned, awns 0.5-3 mm, fragile;

paleas about 3/4 as long as to nearly equaling the length of the lemmas;

anthers 3, 2.2-4 mm;

rudiments 2.5-6 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets.

Lower glumes

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.

Caryopses

about 5 mm.

2n

= 18.

=18.

Melica montezumae

Melica harfordii

Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 harfordii grows primarily in the Pacific coast ranges from Washington to California, as well as in the Sierra Nevada and a few other inland locations, usually on dry slopes or in dry, open woods. The awns in M. harfordii often escape attention because they do not always extend beyond the lemma.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 98. FNA vol. 24, p. 93.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Meliceae > Melica Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Meliceae > Melica
Sibling taxa
M. altissima, M. aristata, M. bulbosa, M. californica, M. ciliata, M. frutescens, M. fugax, M. geyeri, M. harfordii, M. imperfecta, 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. fugax, M. geyeri, M. imperfecta, M. montezumae, M. mutica, M. nitens, M. porteri, M. smithii, M. spectabilis, M. stricta, M. subulata, M. torreyana
Synonyms M. harfordii var. viridifolia, M. harfordii var. tenuis, M. harfordii var. minor
Name authority Piper Bol.
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