Glumaflorae Review

Grasses(Poaceae) and grass-like plants (Cyperaceae; cyperus, carex, scirpus, and Juncaceae; juncus)

Flowers much reduced to scale-like, hair-like, chaff-like parts often only 2merous. Flowers in spikelets. Fibrous roots, annuals, perrenials. Well adapted to grassland and dry prairie or desert. One of the most successful and advanced groups in invading dry territory and fresh water.

Key to Families of Glumaflorae

1. fruit 3-valved capsule (3-many seeds) perianth 6 chaffy segments (no lemma/palea) JUNCACEAE

1. Fruit an akene or grain (caryopsis), indehiscent and 1 seeded; perianth of LEMMA, and PALEA (sometimes inconspicuous, of scales, bristles, or hairs)

----2 Stems not jointed, often triangular, lvs 3 ranked and usually basal fruit an akene ----CYPERACEAE

----2 Stems jointed often hollow; leaves always present, 2 ranked, fruit a grain (caryopsis) seldom angled POACEAE
JUNCACEAE - perennial or annual herbs with rhizomes, basal leaves, blades flat, grass-like, chaffy flws in heads 6 segments

1. Juncus effusus (soft stem rush) 2-3' tall common in swamps and wetlands

2. Juncus canadensis - (Canadian rush) - lvs rounded & jointed flws in late autumn

3. Juncus greenei - lvs filiform, 18" tall

4. Juncus marginatus -(Grassleaved rush) 18" tall bulbous base of leaf, Leaf sheath rounded scarious auricles.

5. Juncus militaris - (Bayonet rush) 2' high around shallow quiet ponds

6. Juncus tenuis - (Path Rush) 1' high, wirey, in low wet areas of woodland paths or dirt roads.

7. Juncus acuminatus - (sharp fruited rush) 2' in wet meadows and woods

CYPERACEAE

Sedges, cyperus, bull rushes. Grass-like herbs of wet placeae from rhizomes. No jointed stems, solid pith often triangular stems in cross section, 3 ranked lvs, closed sheaths, no ligule, rough conduplicate lvs, flowers in spikelets subtended by a bract(glume or scale), fruit an akene

Tribe Cypereae

many perfect flowered spikelets with glumes 2 ranked

Tribe Scirpeae

many perfect flowered spikelets glumes more than 2 rnaked

Tribe Cariceae

flowers unisexual, monoecious, female enclosed in a modified flask-like glume (perigynium). Female spikelet 1 flowered, male spikelet 2- many flowered and terminal

Tribe Cypereae

Sedges

1. Dulichium arundinaceum (Threeway sedge) 2' tall lvs in 3 rows along round stem common in ponds and swamps

Spike rushes

2. Eleocharis ovata -9" tall in moist ground near wetlands

Sedges

3. Cyprerus diandrus - 6" tall, green with purple edges in low moist ground

4. Cyperus filiculmis - 1' tall wire-like, round heads in dry fields

5. Cyperus strigosus - 2' tall, spikelets straw colored, flat 1" long, from bulbs in wet fields

6. Fimbristylis autumnalis 9" tall in tufts, stem flattened, lvs narrow, spikelets with strongly pointed scales, seed triangular, in wet ground

Beakrushes

7. Rhynchospora capillacea (Capillary Beakrush) - 1' tall stems, lvs hair-like with few brown spikelets on stems, in bogs

Cottongrasses

8. Eriophorum virginicum (Tawny Cottongrass) - 3' slender stems, leafy, with white heads drooping in swamps

9. Rynshospora glomerata Cclustered Beakrush) 2' tall with purplish brown spikelets, moist ground

Tribe Scirpeae

Bull rushes

1. Hemicarpha micrantha - 3' tall, stems flattened, in tufts, egg shaped spikelets 1/8" long, in moist sandy soil

2. Fimbristylis autumnalis - 3" tall in tufts

3. Scirpus americanus (Chairmaker's rush) - 2' tall, stem sharply triangular (2 sides concave, 1 flat) some glumes with awns in swamps

4. Scirpus robusta 3-4' tall stems sharply tirangular all sides flat, spikelets oblong in marshes
5. Scirpus cyperinus (woolgrass) 4' tall, stems slightly triangular in wet ground.

Tribe Cariceae

Carex

1. Carex bullata - 2' tall, stems slender, sharp, rought angled, spikes 2 green to straw colored, in swamps

2. Carex folliculata - 3' tall yellowish green stem, 2-4 spikes in swamps

3. Carex comosa - 3' tall stem stout, 3-5 spikes, stalked and drooping, bristly, swamps, ponds

4. Carex cristatella 2' tall 6-many spikelets oblong moist soil

5. Carex leporina 16" tall4-6 spikes terminal moist soil

6. Carex crinita 4' tall stem stout triangular, 3-5 spikes drooping in wood swamps

7. Carex interior - 20" tall Wet soil

8. Carex vulpinoidea -4' tall in swamps

9.Carex intumescens 3' tall wet pastures and swamps

10. Carex stricta - 3' tall in dense clumps 2-4 spikes in meadow swamps

11. Carex vesicaria 2' tall 2-3 spikes in wet meadows
POACEAE - the grasses (annual - perrenial) stems cylindrical, jointed, hollow. Leaves sheathing with ligules, 2 ranked Florets of a lemma and palea in spikelets of 1 - many florets subtended by two glumes (bracts), fruit a grain  

Tribe Chlorideae - florets in 1 sided spikes.

1. Beckmannia syzigachne (American Sloughgrass)

2. Bouteloua gracilus (blue grama) common to short grass prairie

3. Spartina pectinatus (tall cordgrass) 4-5' tall in or along ponds and marshes

4. Bouteloua curtipendulum (side oats grama) subdominant of the short - mixed grass prairie
5. Buchloe dactyloides (buffalo grass) gray green forming dense sod in short grass plains (wyoming - Montana) the main sod used in sod houses

6. Cyndon dactylon (Bermuda grass) course grass 18" tall introduced from S. Africa, has become a lawn grass and golf course grass of southern states.

7. Schedonnardus paniculatus (tumblegrass) common to mixed and short grass prairie

Tribe Hordeae - symetrical spikes

1.Agropygron repens (quack grass) a common weedy wheat grass 2-3' tall in waste plases

2. Elymus canadensis (wild Canadian rye grass) 3-4' tall, nodding heads in disturbed habitat

3. Agropygron trachyacaulum (slender wheat grass) 3' tall with long slender spike

4. Lolium temulentum (perrenial ryegrass)

5. Hordeum jubatum (Foxtail barley) 1' tall along roadsides and waste places

6. Hordeum vulgare (Barley)

Inflorescence a panicle or raceme

Tribe Phalarideae - 1 perfect terminal floret with 2 sterile lemmas below

1. Hierochloe odorata (Sweet grass) smells like vanilla, used by indians to weave baskets

2. Phalarus arundinaceae (Canary Reed Grass) common in intermittant wet areas along swamps.

Tribe Paniceae - Raceme or spike-like panicle, 1 perf terminal flw, 1 sterile flw below

1. Panicum capillare (witch grass) - annual in waste places 3' tall

2. Panicum virgatum (Swith grass) prairie pothole - moist waste places

3. Panicum commutatum - 18" in waste places

4. Panicum scribneranum- 1' tall in sandy soil.

5. Echinocloa crusgaalli (barnyard grass) 2-3' in disturbed habitat.

6. Digitaria sanginaria (common crab grass)
7. Cenchrus pauciflorus (Field Sandburr) 6" tall prostrate in waste places

8. Setaria faberii (nodding pigeon grass) introduced from China as ornimental has expanded range into plains states as weed of waste places

9. Setaria lutescens (yellow brittle pigeon grass) roadsides and waste places

Tribe Agrostideae - panicles - spikelets perfect, 1 flw, articulation above the glumes

1.Agrostis alba (Red Top) 4-5' tall from creeping rhizomes in tall grass prairies

2. Agrostis hiemalis 1' tall

3. Agrostis palustris (creeping bent grass of golf course greens)

4. Alopecris aequalis (short awned foxtail) 1' tall in wet places

5. Alopecris pratensis (meadow foxtail) 2' tall in waste places

6. Aristida olig

7. Aristida tuberosa

8. Calamagrostis canadensis (blue joint reedgrass) 3'in moist meadows

9. Calamagrostis inexpensa (Northern Reed grass) 2' in wet meadows

10. Calamavilfa longifolia (Tall sandgrass) 3' in sand dune blow out areas or sandy prairies

11. Cinia arundinaceae

12. Cinia latifolia

13. Muhlenbergia cuspidata

14. Muhlenbergia asperifolia (scratch grass muhly) damp or marshy alkaline soils of prairie pot holes

 

16. Muhlenbergia richardsonis (mat muhly) wiry greeping mats, perennial on dry alkaline soil of short - mixed grass prairies

17. Oryzopis asperofolia

18. Phleum pratensis (Timothy) waste places

19. Sporobolis asper (prairie dropseed) 2' panicle remains in sheathing leaf in sandy soil (perrenial)

Sporobolis vaginiflorus (similar but an annual)
20. Stipa spartea (needle grass) mixed grass prairie and sandy dry prairie 2' tall

Tribe Orizeae - panicle, spikelets 1 flwed, articulation below the glumes

1. Leersia orizeae (cutgrass)

2. Orizeae sativa (rice)
Tribe Avenae - Panicle, spikelets with 2 or more florets, glumes longer than 1st lemma

1. Avena sativa (wild oats)

2. Koleria crista
Tribe Festuceae- Panicle spikelets with 2 or more florects glumes shorter than 1st lemma

1. Festuca obtusa

2. Eragrostis ciliata

3. Glyceria canadensis

4. Glyceria granda

5. Glyceria striatus

6. Phragmites commutatus

7. Poa compressa

8. Poa palustris

9. Poa pratensis

10 Redfieldia flexiosus
Tribe Andropogonae -panicle, spikelets with 1 sessil fertile and 1 pediceled sterile floret

1. Andropogon gerardi

2. Andropogon scoparious

3. Sorgastrum nutans

4. Sorghum halperi