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Hoover's semaphoregrass, north coast semaphore grass

Habit Plants perennial; not cespitose, rhizomatous.
Culms

1-1.6 m, erect.

Sheaths

glabrous, retrorsely scabridulous;

ligules 3-6.5 mm;

blades 3-30 cm long, 4-10 mm wide, apices acute to acuminate, mucronate, flag leaves often with reduced spinose blades.

Racemes

21-33 cm, with 7-10 spikelets;

internodes 1.8-8 cm;

pedicels 1.5-5 mm, erect or ascending, rarely reflexed.

Spikelets

28-42 mm, erect or ascending, with 9-16 florets, usually all but the terminal floret bisexual.

Caryopses

3.5-4 mm.

Lower

glumes 3-5.6 mm;

upper glumes 4.5-7.2 mm, 1-3-veined;

rachilla internodes 2-3 mm long, about 0.4 mm thick, basal 1/2 developing into a glandular swelling;

lemmas 8-9 mm, 7-veined, lateral veins strongly ribbed, apices toothed, usually rounded, rarely acute or erose, awned, awns 0.2-4 mm;

paleal keels unawned, each with a 0.6-1.5 mm triangular appendage;

anthers 4-4.8 mm.

2n

=16, 36.

Pleuropogon hooverianus

Distribution
from FNA
CA
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pleuropogon hooverianus grows in wet and marshy areas, usually in shady locations. Several of the populations are around redwood groves. It is known only from Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties in California. It is listed as rare by the state of California.

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

Source FNA vol. 24.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Meliceae > Pleuropogon
Sibling taxa
P. californicus, P. oregonus, P. refractus, P. sabinei
Name authority (L.D. Benson) J.T. Howell
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