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Montezuma melic, Montezuma melicgrass

nodding melica, rock melic, rock melicgrass, rock oniongrass

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

14-100 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth.

9-85 cm, not forming corms;

basal internodes often thickened;

internodes smooth.

Sheaths

glabrous or scabrous;

ligules 2.5-7 mm;

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

scabridulous;

ligules 2.5-5 mm;

blades 1.5-5 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous, scabridulous, adaxial surfaces sometimes strigose, sometimes glabrous or scabridulous.

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.

3-30 cm;

branches 0.5-10 cm, appressed, with 1-5 spikelets;

pedicels sharply bent below the spikelets;

disarticulation below the glumes.

Spikelets

6-8 mm, with 1 bisexual floret.

6-23 mm long, 5-13 mm wide, broadly V-shaped when mature, with 2-4 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 1.8-2.1 mm.

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.

6-16 mm long, 3.5-5 mm wide, 4-7-veined;

upper glumes 6-18 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, 5-9-veined;

lemmas 6-16 mm, glabrous, scabridulous, 5-9-veined, veins inconspicuous, apices acute, unawned;

paleas 1/2 - 3/4 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 1-3 mm;

rudiments 2-7 mm, resembling the lower florets, acute to acuminate.

Caryopses

4-5 mm.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Melica montezumae

Melica stricta

Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; UT
[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 stricta grows from 1200-3350 m on rocky, often dry slopes, sometimes in alpine habitats. Its range extends from Oregon and California to Utah. Boyle (1945) recognized two varieties, more on their marked geographical separation than on their morphological divergence.

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

Key
1. Paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas; anthers 2-3 mm long
var. albicaulis
1. Paleas about 1/2 the length of the lemmas; anthers 1-2 mm long
var. stricta
Source FNA vol. 24, p. 98. 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. 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. harfordii, M. imperfecta, M. montezumae, M. mutica, M. nitens, M. porteri, M. smithii, M. spectabilis, M. subulata, M. torreyana
Subordinate taxa
M. stricta var. albicaulis, M. stricta var. stricta
Name authority Piper Bol.
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