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mélique de Smith, Smith oniongrass, Smith's melic, Smith's melic grass, Smith's oniongrass

awn melic, bearded melic grass, bearded oniongrass

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

60-160 cm, thickened basally, sometimes appearing cormous;

internodes sometimes pubescent below the nodes.

40-120 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth.

Sheaths

usually glabrous, sometimes pilose or retrorsely scabrous, particularly at the throat, veins often prominent;

ligules 2-4 mm;

blades 15-25 cm long, 5-12 mm wide, both surfaces usually scabridulous, glabrous, sometimes the adaxial surfaces with hairs.

glabrous, scabrous, sometimes sparsely pilose;

ligules 2.5-5 mm;

blades 5.5-15 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, often sparsely pilose on both surfaces.

Panicles

12-30 cm;

branches 7-11 cm, spreading to reflexed, with 4-7 spikelets, spikelets restricted to the distal portion, axils frequently with brownish pulvini;

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

10-26 cm;

branches 4-6 cm, appressed or strongly ascending, with 1-4 spikelets per branch;

pedicels not sharply bent;

disarticulation above the glumes.

Spikelets

12-18 mm, with 3-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 2.5-3 mm.

11-21 mm, with (2)3-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 3.4-3.8 mm.

Lower glumes

4.5-7 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, 1-3-veined;

upper glumes 6.5-9 mm long, 1.2-1.8 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

lemmas 9.5-12 mm, glabrous or scabrous, 7-veined, apices bifid to emarginate, awned, awns 3-10 mm;

paleas about 2/3 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 1.3-2.5 mm;

rudiments 3.5-6 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets.

9-11 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 11-12 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

lemmas 8-13 mm, with 0.3-0.6 mm hairs on the marginal veins, glabrous or with hairs to 0.1 mm elsewhere, 5-7-veined, veins prominent, apices bifid to emarginate, awned from the sinuses, awns 5-12 mm;

paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 2, 2-3 mm;

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

Caryopses

5-6 mm.

2n

= unknown.

=18.

Melica smithii

Melica aristata

Distribution
from FNA
ID; MI; MT; OR; SD; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; KY; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Melica smithii grows in cool, moist woods from British Columbia and Alberta south to Oregon and Wyoming and, as a disjunct, from the Great Lakes region to western Quebec. It often forms colonies in the eastern portion of its range. Its disjunct distribution pattern is unusual among North America's grasses.

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

Melica aristata grows from 1000-3000 m in open fir and pine woods. It is restricted to the Flora region, being native from Washington to southern California. It has also been found in Kentucky, possibly as an introduction from contaminated seed. Melica aristata is easily distinguished from most species of Melica by its conspicuous awns.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 95. FNA vol. 24, p. 95.
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. montezumae, M. mutica, M. nitens, M. porteri, M. spectabilis, M. stricta, M. subulata, M. torreyana
M. altissima, 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. stricta, M. subulata, M. torreyana
Name authority (Porter ex A. Gray) Vasey Thurb. ex Bol.
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