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annual semaphoregrass, California semaphoregrass, semaphore grass

Habit Plants annual or perennial; cespitose, with many innovations, not rhizomatous, or with poorly developed rhizomes.
Culms

15-95 cm, erect or geniculate at the base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes;

nodes 3-6.

Sheaths

glabrous;

ligules 2-6 mm;

blades 3-29 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, adaxial surfaces slightly scabridulous.

Racemes

8-35 cm, with 6-13 spikelets;

internodes 1-6 cm;

pedicels 1-5.5(9) mm, ascending to spreading.

Spikelets

15-60 mm, ascending to spreading, with 7-20(30) florets, lower florets bisexual, upper florets pistillate, terminal florets sterile.

Glumes

lanceolate to broadly ovate;

lower glumes 1-4.5 mm;

upper glumes 2-6.5 mm, 1-3-veined;

rachilla internodes 1-2.8 mm long, 0.2-0.5 mm thick, with a glandular swelling at the base;

lemmas 4.5-7.5 mm, 7(9)-veined, veins distinct, often prominent, apices truncate or emarginate, unawned or awned, awns to 11 mm;

paleal keels scabridulous, each with a 0.5-2.5 mm triangular, winglike appendage, often denticulate beyond the appendage;

anthers 2.5-4 mm.

Caryopses

2.5-3.1 mm.

Pleuropogon californicus

Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Key
1. Plants annual or facultative perennials; lemmas usually with awns 5-11 mm long, rarely unawned; paleal appendages 0.5-2.5 mm long; spikelets 15-30 mm long
var. californicus
1. Plants perennial; lemmas unawned, sometimes mucronate, mucros to 1.5 mm long; paleal appendages 0.5-1 mm long; spikelets 25-60 mm long
var. davyi
Source FNA vol. 24.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Meliceae > Pleuropogon
Sibling taxa
P. hooverianus, P. oregonus, P. refractus, P. sabinei
Subordinate taxa
P. californicus var. californicus, P. californicus var. davyi
Name authority (Nees) Benth. ex Vasey
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