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serrated tussock, serrated tussockgrass, yass tussockgrass

Chilean needlegrass, Chilean tussockgrass

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. Plants perennial; shortly rhizomatous, appearing cespitose, rhizomes slender, somewhat woody.
Culms

20-60 cm tall, about 1 mm thick, erect, internodes glabrous;

nodes 2-4, pubescent.

30-100 cm tall, 0.4-0.7 mm thick, bases somewhat bulblike, erect, geniculate and often branching intra-vaginally at the lower cauline nodes, internodes glabrous;

nodes 5-8+, glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous, smooth;

collars glabrous, without tufts of hair at the sides;

ligules 0.5-2.5 mm, glabrous, obtuse;

blades 15-45 cm long, 0.2-0.6 mm wide, convolute, stiff, scabridulous.

mostly glabrous, throats sometimes ciliate;

collars sparsely hairy, with tufts of hair at the sides, hairs 0.5-1.3 mm;

ligules 0.2-0.3 mm, truncate, usually ciliate;

blades 3-10 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, strongly convolute, stiff, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces with coarse hairs.

Panicles

8-25 cm, open, lax, sparse;

branches 2-6 cm, with 1-8 spikelets;

pedicels 3-12 mm.

2-20 cm;

branches 0.4-1.2 cm, with 1-4 spikelets;

pedicels 0.5-4 mm.

Glumes

subequal, 4-10 mm long, 0.9-1.2 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, scabridulous, apices aristate;

florets 1.5-2.5 mm long, 0.7-0.9 mm wide, terete, widest near the top;

calluses 0.1-0.3 mm, acute, strigose, hairs reaching to midlength on the lemmas;

lemmas strongly tuberculate, particularly distally, mostly glabrous, narrowing abruptly to the crown, midveins pubescent proximally;

crowns about 0.5 mm long, about 0.2 mm wide, straight-sided, rims entire or irregularly lacerate, glabrous;

awns 15-35 mm, eccentric, straight to twice-geniculate;

anthers 3, 1-1.5 mm.

subequal, 3-4.5 mm long, 1.1-1.6 mm wide, ovate, 3-veined, glabrous or puberulent, acuminate;

florets 1.6-2.2 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, obovate to oblong, terete, widest near the top;

calluses 0.2-0.3 mm, obtuse, glabrous;

lemmas glabrous, smooth, lustrous, transition to the crown not evident;

crowns about 0.1 mm long and wide, not differing in texture from the lemmas;

awns 7-10 mm, eccentric, rapidly deciduous;

anthers about 1 mm or 0.3-0.4 mm, florets with longer anthers presumably chasmogamous, those with shorter anthers presumably cleistogamous.

Caryopses

about 1.2 mm, oblong, dark brown.

about 1 mm.

2n

= 36.

= 42.

Nassella trichotoma

Nassella chilensis

Distribution
from FNA
IL; KY; NC; SC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Nassella trichotoma is a native of South America, and has been accidentally introduced into the United States. Because it is on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's noxious weed list, all known populations have been eliminated. New populations should be reported to the Department.

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

Nassella chilensis is an Andean species that was once collected from a ballast dump in Portland, Oregon. It is not established in the Flora region.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 177. FNA vol. 24, p. 177.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Stipeae > Nassella Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Stipeae > Nassella
Sibling taxa
N. cernua, N. chilensis, N. lepida, N. leucotricha, N. manicata, N. neesiana, N. pulchra, N. tenuissima, N. viridula
N. cernua, N. lepida, N. leucotricha, N. manicata, N. neesiana, N. pulchra, N. tenuissima, N. trichotoma, N. viridula
Name authority (Nees) Hack, ex Arechav. (Trin.) E. Desv.
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