Vulpia octoflora
Vulpia sciurea
eight-flower six-weeks grass, pullout grass, six-weeks fescue, six-weeks grass, six-weeks vulpia
squirreltail fescue
5-60 cm, solitary or loosely tufted, glabrous or pubescent.
15-50(60) cm, solitary or tufted, erect or drooping at maturity.
glabrous or pubescent;
ligules 0.3-1 mm;
blades to 10 cm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, flat or rolled, glabrous or pubescent.
glabrous;
ligules 0.5-1 mm;
blades usually shorter than 10 cm, 0.5-1 mm wide, flat or rolled, glabrous.
1-7(20) cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, with 1-2 branches per node;
branches appressed to spreading.
5-20 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide, with 1-2 branches per node;
branches appressed to erect.
4-10(13) mm, with (4)5-11(17) florets;
rachilla internodes 0.5-0.7 mm.
3.5-5.2 mm, with 3-6 florets;
rachilla internodes 0.25-0.9 mm.
1.7-4.5 mm, 1/2 - 2/3 the length of the upper glumes;
upper glumes 2.5-7.2 mm;
lemmas 2.7-6.5 mm, 5-veined, smooth, scabrous, or pubescent, apices entire, no more pubescent than the bases, awns of the lowermost lemma in each spikelet 0.3-9 mm;
paleas slightly shorter than the lemmas, apices entire or minutely bifid, teeth shorter than 0.2 mm;
anthers 0.3-1.5 mm.
1.5-2.5 mm, about 2/3 the length of the upper glumes;
upper glumes 2.5-4 mm;
lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm, 3-veined, evidently pubescent distally, glabrous or sparsely pubescent proximally, awns 4.5-10 mm;
paleas subequal or equal to the lemmas;
anthers about 0.5 mm.
1.7-3.7 mm.
1.5-2.5 mm.
= 14.
= 42.
Vulpia octoflora
Vulpia sciurea
Vulpia octoflora, a widespread native species, tends to be displaced by the introduced Bromus tectorum in the Pacific Northwest. It grows in grasslands, sagebrush, and open woodlands, as well as in disturbed habitats and areas of secondary succession, such as old fields, roadsides, and ditches. Three varieties are recognized here, but their characterization is not completely satisfactory, e.g., plants of the southwestern United States with spikelets in the size range of var. glauca often have densely pubescent lemmas, the distinguishing characteristic of var. birtella.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Vulpia sciurea, our most distinctive native species, is restricted to the Flora region. It can be recognized by its small spikelets and apically pubescent lemmas, and grows mostly in deep, sandy soils of open woodlands, old fields, roadside ditches, and sand hills in the southeastern Flora region. It is listed as endangered in New Jersey.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spikelets usually 4-6.5 mm long; awn of the lowermost lemma in each spikelet 0.3-3 mm long | var. glauca |
1. Spikelets usually 5.5-13 mm long; awn of the lowermost lemma in each spikelet 2.5-9 mm long. | → 2 |
2. Lemmas scabrous to pubescent | var. hirtella |
2. Lemmas usually smooth, sometimes scabridulous distally and on the margins | var. octoflora |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
