Cynodonteae Tribe
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POACEAE [GRAMINEAE] – GRASS FAMILY Plant: annuals or perennials Stem: jointed stem is termed a culm – internodial stem most often hollow but always solid at node, mostly round, some with stolons (creeping stem) or rhizomes (underground stem) Root: usually fibrous, often very abundant and dense Leaves: mostly linear, sessile, parallel veins, in 2 ranks (vertical rows), leaf sheath usually open or split and often overlapping, but may be closed Flowers: small in 2 rows forming a spikelet (1 to several flowers), may be 1 to many spikelets with pedicels or sessile to stem; each flower within a spikelet is between an outer limna (bract, with a midrib) and an inner palea (bract, 2-nerved or keeled usually) – these 3 parts together make the floret – the 2 bottom bracts of the spikelet do not have flowers and are termed glumes (may be reduced or absent), the rachilla is the axis that hold the florets; sepals and petals absent; 1-6 but often 3 stamens; 1 pistil, 1-3 but usually 2 styles, ovary superior, 1 ovule – there are exceptions to most everything!! Fruit: seed-like grain (seed usually fused to the pericarp (ovary wall) or not) Other: very large and important family; Monocotyledons Group Genera: 600+ genera; locally many genera 2 slides per species WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive POACEAE [GRAMINEAE] – CYNODONTEAE TRIBE Sideoats Grama; Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. var. curtipendula - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Bermuda Grass; Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (Introduced) - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Egyptian Grass [Durban Crowfoot]; Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd (Introduced) [Indian] Goose Grass; Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. (Introduced – Cynodonteae (Tribe) Stink Grass; Eragrostis cilianensis (All.) Vign. Ex Janchen (Introduced) - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Purple Love Grass; Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Sand [Thread] Love Grass; Eragrostis trichodes (Nutt.) Alph. Wood - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Mucronate Sprangeltop; Leptochloa panicea (Retz.) Ohwi ssp. Brachiata (Steud.) N. Snow - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Amazon Sprangletop; Leptochloa panicoides (J. Presl) Hitchc. - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Nimblewill; Muhlenbergia schreberi J.F. Gmel. - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Rock Muhly; Muhlenbergia sobolifera (Muhl. ex Willd.) Trin. - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Prairie Cord [Slough] Grass [Ripgut]; Spartina pectinata Bosc ex Link - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Purpletop Tridens [Tall Redtop]; Tridens flavus (L.) Hitchc. var. flavus - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Longspike Tridens; Tridens strictus (Nutt.) Nash - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Sea-Oats; Uniola paniculata L. - Cynodonteae (Tribe) Sideoats Grama – p1 USDA Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. var. curtipendula Poaceae (Grass Family); Cynodonteae (Tribe) La Petite Gemme Prairie, Polk County, Missouri Notes: Plant perennial, erect, to 1+ m, some clumping; Culm terete, nodes slightly swollen; Roots fibrous, with slender rhizomes; Leaf Blades glabrous to sometimes hairy; Leaf Sheaths hairy or not, open; Ligules membranous and ciliate; Inflorescence a panicle with 30 to 70+ spikes 1 to 2.5+ cm long; 3 to 7 spikelets per spike with 1 perfect and usually 1(rarely 2) sterile florets per spikelet; Glumes present, lower glume smaller than upper; sterile lemma often with longer awn than fertile lemma; disarticulating above glumes or the spikes may be shed whole; anthers usually red to reddish orange, usually not purple or yellow; plains and prairies; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2013] Sideoats Grama – p2 Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. var. curtipendula [V Max Brown, 2013] Spike with several spikelets hanging down Spikelet Lower Glume Upper glume Spike axis Reddish- orange anthers USDA Blades often Bermuda Grass – p1 hairy near Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (Introduced) base Poaceae (Grass Family); Cynodonteae (Tribe) Nixa, Christian County, Missouri Notes: Plant perennial, decumbent to mostly creeping, with both rhizomes and stolons, mat forming, flowering stems erect; Culm terete, nodes swollen and greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades glabrous, often hairy near base; Leaf Sheaths glabrous; Ligules membranous (< 1 mm), hairy; Inflorescence of terminal spikes (palmate panicle), 2 to several spikes; Spikelets to 3+ mm, in 2 rows, appressed to Ligule small, 1 side of axis; Florets 1, perfect; Glumes present, single membranous, nerve, to 2 mm; Lemma to 3mm, keeled, with hairs; Palea with hairs mostly glabrous; early summer to fall (variable species) [V Max Brown, 2013] Roots at node Long Stolons, rooting at nodes Bermuda Grass – p2 Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2013] Inflorescence of 2 to several terminal spikes Lemma Palea Upper Glume Lower Glume Spikelets tightly appressed and slightly offset in 2 rows on one A single Spikelet side of the spike or axis Egyptian Grass [Durban Crowfoot] - p1 USDA Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Cynodonteae (Tribe) Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida Notes: Plant annual to perennial, stolons or not, tuft-forming or not; stems erect; Culm terete, up to 100 cm, may root at lower nodes; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades with some hairs; Leaf Sheaths hairy distally; Ligules membranous (to 1.5 mm); Inflorescence of 2 to 6 (usually) panicle branches (up to 6 mm), branch axes extend beyond spikelets; Spikelets to 4+ mm, in 2 rows on axis; Florets 3 to 7, perfect; Glumes present, upper with awn (see p2 for details of spikelets); a widespread weedy species; spring [V Max Brown, 2016] Egyptian Grass [Durban Crowfoot] – p2 Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2016] Inflorescence usually has 2 to 6 branches up to 6 cm in length, each branch has a double row of spikelets; note that the axis of the inflorescence branch extends beyond the spikelets Glume with awn Florets Upper glume with awn, glume awns vary from 1 Lower glume to 2.5 mm (no awn) Spikelet (3 to 4+ mm) usually has 3 to 7 florets, lemmas with small awns, paleas similar to lemmas but no awns [Indian] Goose Grass – p1 USDA Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. (Introduced Poaceae (Grass Family); Cynodonteae (Tribe) Near Strafford, Dallas County, Missouri Notes: Plant annual, spreading to somewhat ascending; Culm terete but somewhat flattened or compressed toward base, flowering stem erect; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades up to 8 mm, up to 40 cm long; Leaf Sheaths keeled, some long hairs; Ligules membranous (up to 1+ mm); Inflorescence a panicle of 4-9(10) spikes (branches) up to 10 to 12 cm; Spikelets attached to rachilla in 2 rows (alterntely angled) on the base of the branch, spikelets up to 7+ mm; Florets (2 to mostly 5 - 7 ); Glumes present, lower glume smaller than upper (up to 5 mm), lower; Lemma up to 4 mm; Palea smaller than lemma; seed reddish to reddish brown; spring to summer [V Max Brown, 2013] [Indian] Goose Grass – p2 Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2013] This Inflorescence with 5 spikes, each spike with 2 rows of spikelets (alternately angled) on the lower side of the spike Number of florets varies up to about 7 Fertile Florets Upper Glume longer Lower Glume A single Spikelet Stink Grass – p1 USDA Eragrostis cilianensis (All.) Vign. ex Janchen (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Cynodonteae (Tribe) Near Strafford, Greene County, Missouri Notes: Plant annual, erect to somewhat decumbent (up to 50+ cm), tuft forming; Culm terete, motly glabrous, glands near nodes; Roots fibrous; Leaf blades up to 1 cm wide, 20 cm long, glabrous, some glands present; Leaf Sheaths long hairy; Ligules membranous (up to 1 mm); Inflorescence a panicle (15 to 20 cm long), warty glands found at branch axils; spikelets up to 2.5 cm long, on short stalks from branches; 10 to 40 perfect florets; Glumes present, often with warty resinous glands on keel or midrib; many glands habitats; summer to fall (has an odor when fresh specimens are crushed) [V Max Brown, 2013] Stink Grass – p2 Eragrostis cilianensis (All.) Vign. ex Janchen (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2013] Spikelets vary with 10 to 40 perfect florets Small hairy and warty glands in axils of inflorescence branches Spikelets age from bottom up and florets disarticulate leaving paleas and rachis 18 mm Glumes with warty glands on midrib Purple Love Grass – p1 USDA Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. Poaceae (Grass Family); Cynodonteae (Tribe) Near Prairie State Park, Barton County, Missouri Notes: Plant perennial, mostly erect (up to 70+ cm), tuft forming; Culm terete, mostly glabrous; Roots fibrous with short knotty rhizomes; Leaf blades less than 1 cm wide, up to 40+ cm long, large tuft of hair at base, otherwise glabrous or hiary; Leaf Sheaths long hairy at tip, maybe some on margins; Ligules membranous and small; Inflorescence a large open panicle (up to 75% of plant height), branches very rough; spikelets 3 to 7+ mm and about 1 to 2.5 mm Tuft of long hair at base of leaf sheath, wide, on short to long stalks, often with a strong reddish Pulvini (swelling at ligule (small) tinge; 6 to 12 perfect florets; Glumes present (see photos base of secondary membranous on p2); Lemmas with 3 veins, lateral veins very prominent; axis of inflorescence) many habitats, common; summer to fall usually with hairs 5+ [V Max Brown, 2013] mm long Short, knotty rhizomes Red spikelets, Purple Love Grass – p2 inflorescence 0.5 to Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. 0.75 of total plant [V Max Brown, 2013] height Spilelet, flattened, with 6 to 12 florets, usually reddish in color Floret, perfect, lemma with acute tip, 3-veined, and with a roughened keel palea