Rytidosperma penicillatum
Rytidosperma
hairy danthonia, hairy oat grass, hairy wallaby grass, poverty grass, purple awn wallaby grass
wallaby grass
30-90 cm, erect, mostly smooth and glabrous, scabrous-pubescent immediately below the inflorescence, branching extravaginal, the new shoots with scaly cataphylls.
(1.5)30-90(140) cm.
open, glabrous or hairy, apices with tufts of hair, these sometimes extending across the collar;
ligules of hairs;
blades persistent or disarticulating.
mostly basal, greatly exceeded by the culms, flag leaf blades usually not reaching the inflorescence;
sheaths densely hairy or glabrous, with apical tufts of hairs, apical hairs 1-3.5 mm;
ligules 0.1-1 mm;
blades to 30 cm long and 5 mm wide, flat, folded, or rolled, pubescent or glabrous.
4-10 cm, racemose or paniculate, contracted;
pedicels much shorter than the spikelets.
terminal, racemes or panicles.
9-15(18) mm, longer than the rachis internodes, with 5-10 florets;
rachilla segments 0.2-0.5 mm.
with 3-10 florets;
florets bisexual, terminal florets reduced;
disarticulation above the glumes and between the florets.
8-14(17.5) mm, subequal, lanceolate, sometimes with scattered hairs;
lower glumes (5)7-9(11)-veined;
upper glumes 5-7(9)-veined;
calluses 0.5-1.2 mm, longer than wide, with marginal tufts of hairs usually reaching the lower lemma hairs;
lemma bodies (2)2.5-4 mm, 9-veined, lower row of hairs continuous or with weak central tufts, hairs of the marginal tufts not or just reaching the upper row of hairs, upper row of hairs composed of 2 marginal tufts, sometimes with 2 additional scanty tufts between, hairs reaching or slightly exceeding the base of the awn;
lobes 5-13 mm, aristate;
awns (7)9-16 mm;
paleas 3-6 mm, exceeding the lemma sinuses, emarginate, intercostal region glabrous or scabrous, margins glabrous or sparsely long-hairy, veins ciliate;
anthers 0.4-2.5 mm.
(2)8-20 mm, subequal or equal, usually exceeding the florets, stiffly membranous;
calluses with lateral tufts of stiff hairs;
lemmas ovate to lanceolate, with 2 complete or incomplete transverse rows of tufts of hairs, sometimes reduced to marginal tufts, 5-9-veined, apices bilobed, lobes usually at least as long as the body, acute, acuminate, or aristate, awned from between the lobes, awns longer than the lobes, twisted, usually geniculate;
lodicules 2, fleshy, with hairs or glabrous.
1.8-2.5(3) mm long, 0.8-1.1(1.6) mm wide;
embryos 0.7-1(1.5) mm;
hila 0.4-0.5(0.7) mm.
1.2-3 mm, obovate to elliptic.
absent, x = 12.
= unknown.
Rytidosperma penicillatum
Rytidosperma
Rytidosperma penicillatum is endemic to Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand as well as North America. Although considered a poor quality forage, it was introduced and grown experimentally in several states under the name Danthonia pilosa R. Br. [= R. pilosa (R. Br.) Connor & Edgar]. It has become well-established in northern California and southwestern Oregon, mainly in coastal areas. Since it does well on dry, nutrient depleted soils and competes well with more desirable species, it is considered a troublesome pest.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Rytidosperma, as interpreted here and by Edgar and Connor (2000), is a genus of about 45 species that are native to south and southeastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Linder and Verboom (1996) advocated a narrower interpretation of the genus than Edgar and Connor, but acknowledged that "there is an almost equally strong case for recognizing a single, large genus, Rytidosperma" (p. 607). According to their interpretation, all three species treated here would be placed in Austrodanthonia H.P. Linder (Linder 1997).
Several species of Rytidosperma have been cultivated in research plots or forage trials in North America. The three species treated here have been tried in several states but have escaped cultivation and persisted only in California and Oregon (Weintraub 1953). They have been included in commercial seed mixtures for forage planting in Australia and New Zealand. Other species that have been grown experimentally in both the United States and Canada include R. caespitosum (Gaudich.) Connor & Edgar, R. setaceum (R. Br.) Connor & Edgar, and R. tenuius (Steud.) A. Hansen & P. Sunding. They are not known to have escaped or persisted in North America.
H.E. Connor identified two additional species of Rytidosperma among specimens that have been found as escapes in Alameda and San Mateo counties, California. They are Rytidosperma caespitosa (Gaudich.) Connor & Edgar, and R. richardsonii (Cashmore) Connor & Edgar. Both are native to Australia. Rytidosperma caespitosa differs from the three species included in volume 25 in having two rows of tufts of hair in which the upper row of hairs greatly exceeds the lemma body. Like R. biannulare, it has intravaginal branching. Rytidosperma richardsonii has lemma lobes that are shorter than the lemma body, and obovate paleas that are 2-2.5 mm wide.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Upper row of lemma hairs in a more or less continuous row of tufts, the hairs much exceeding the base of the awn; shoots intravaginal, without scaly cataphylls | R. biannulare |
1. Upper row of lemma hairs in isolated tufts or only at the margins, the hairs not or only just exceeding the base of the awn; some or most shoots extravaginal and with scaly cataphylls. | → 2 |
2. Callus hairs usually overlapping the lower row of lemma hairs; upper row of lemma hairs often reduced to marginal tufts, sometimes scanty medial tufts also present | R. penicillatum |
2. Callus hairs short, rarely reaching the lower row of lemma hairs; upper row of lemma hairs usually with scanty medial tufts | R. racemosum |
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