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ditch beard grass, ditch rabbit's-foot grass

Chilean beard grass, Chilean rabbit's-foot grass

Habit Plants perennial, often flowering the first year. Plants perennial.
Culms

20-80 (90) cm, more or less decumbent.

20-100 cm.

Sheaths

smooth;

ligules 2-6 mm, scabridulous-pubescent;

blades 5-9 cm long, 3-6 mm wide.

smooth to scabridulous;

ligules 1-3(4) mm, rounded to broadly acute, erose;

blades 13-17 cm long, 5-7 mm wide, scabrous.

Panicles

3-15 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, usually interrupted or lobed;

pedicels not developed;

stipes 0.2-0.7 mm.

8-15 cm, lobed or interrupted, usually purplish;

pedicels absent or vestigial;

stipes 0.3-0.5 mm.

Glumes

2-3 mm, subequal, scabrous, larger prickles extending up the keel beyond midlength, not tapering to the apices, apices acute to truncate, unlobed or the lobes to 0.1 mm, awned, awns 1.5-3.2 mm, those of the lower and upper glumes subequal;

lemmas 0.8-1.5 mm, glabrous, smooth and shiny, apices obtuse, not emarginate, awned, awns 1-3.2 mm;

paleas about 3/4 as long as the lemmas;

anthers 0.5-0.7 mm.

1.5-3 mm, smooth to echinate, margins ciliate, apices acute to truncate, unlobed or lobed, lobes to 0.1 mm, awned, awns (3)4-6 mm, flexuous;

lemmas 1-1.3 mm, awned, awns 2-3.5 mm, flexuous;

paleas from shorter than to subequal to the lemmas;

anthers 0.3-0.5 mm.

2n

= 28, 42.

= unknown.

Polypogon interruptus

Polypogon australis

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; LA; NE; NM; NV; NY; OK; OR; TX; UT; WA; WI; WY; HI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Polypogon interruptus grows in moist soil at lower elevations. It is native to the Western Hemisphere, extending south from the western United States into northern Mexico, and through the American tropics to Argentina and Bolivia. The more eastern records may indicate introductions; it is not known whether or not the species persists at these locations.

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

Polypogon australis is native to South America. It has become established in western North America, where it grows alongside ditches and streams. The records from Washington and Oregon are from ballast dumps; it is not known from recent collections in those states.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 663. FNA vol. 24, p. 665.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Polypogon Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Polypogon
Sibling taxa
P. australis, P. elongatus, P. fugax, P. imberbis, P. maritimus, P. monspeliensis, P. viridis
P. elongatus, P. fugax, P. imberbis, P. interruptus, P. maritimus, P. monspeliensis, P. viridis
Name authority Kunth Brongn.
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