[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 : mostly linear, sessile, parallel veins, in 2 ranks (vertical rows), sheath usually open or split and often overlapping, but may be closed Flowers: small in 2 rows forming a (1 to several flowers), may be 1 to many 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; 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 TRIBE TRITICEAE

- annual or perennial - cespitose or not, rhizomes or not - culms annual, not woody, mostly erect or ascending, non-branching - ligules membranous, sometimes erose, sometimes ciliate - leaf blades with auricles at base, leaf sheaths mostly open - inflorescence a terminal balanced spike or raceme (rarely a panicle) - 1-5 spikelets per node, flat side attached to rachis, sterile spikelets may be mixed with fertile spikelets - disarticulation mostly above the glumes and between florets - 1-7 perfect florets, flattened or not - 2 glumes, sometimes awn-like - lemmas usually with 5 (rarely 7) veins, awned or not, distal end usually acute, rarely truncated - paleas usually a little shorter than lemma but varies, often 2 keeled - 3 stamens - 2 styles - caryopses longitudinally grooved

WARNING – tribe descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive POACEAE [GRAMINEAE] – TRITECEAE TRIBE

Eastern Bottlebrush Grass; hystrix L. (Hysterix patula Moench) - Triticeae (Tribe) Quackgrass; Elymus repens (L.) Gould (Introduced) - Triticeae (Tribe) Hairy [Downy] Wild Rye; Elymus villosus Muhl. ex Willd. – Triticeae (Tribe) Virginia Wild Rye; Elymus virginicus L. - Triticeae (Tribe) Little Barley; Hordeum pusillum Nutt. Tall Wheatgrass; Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Z.-W. Liu & R.-C. Wang (Introduced) - Triticeae (Tribe) Common Wheat; Triticum aestivum L. (Introduced) - Triticeae (Tribe) Eastern Bottlebrush Grass – p1 USDA Elymus hystrix L. (Hysterix patula Moench) Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area, Christian County, Missouri Notes: perennial, forms tufts; Culm mostly terete, flowering stem erect (up to 1.5 m) but usually nodding at maturity; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades up to 1.5 cm wide, up to 30+ cm long, mostly glabrous; Leaf Sheaths mostly glabrous, small auricles usually present; Ligules membranous (up to 2 mm); Inflorescence a spike (15 to 20 cm); 1 to 4, but usually 2 (or 3) Spikelets per node; Florets (2-4 usually); Glumes absent or 1-3 mm scales; Lemmas up to 1+ cm, usually glabrous, awns up to 4+ cm; Palea slightly smaller than lemma; seed hidden at maturity; woods, wet or dry, fields; summer [V Max Brown, 2013]

Ligule Eastern Bottlebrush Grass – p2 Elymus hystrix L. (Hysterix patula Moench) [V Max Brown, 2013]

Single Floret

Palea

Lemmas (up to 1+ cm)

Spikelets 1 to 3, usually 2 per node, Spikelets strongly glumes absent or 1-3 mm scales (3 spreading at maturity, spikelets at node in photo above) disarticulating above Spikelet (1 to 6 but usually 2-4 florets) glumes, between florets Quackgrass – p1 USDA Elymus repens (L.) Gould (Introduced) ligule Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) Near Strafford, Greene County, Missouri Notes: Plant perennial, mostly erect (up to 1+ m), tuft or colony forming; Culm terete, motly glabrous; Roots fibrous with rhizomes; Leaf blades up to 12+ mm wide, 30 cm long, mostly glabrous, many small veins but no prominent veins, small auricles at base; Leaf Sheaths glabrous or hairy, open; Ligules membranous; Inflorescence a terminal spike (15 to 20 cm long); single spikelets, strongly overlapping on axis, < than 2 cm long; 3 to 8 auricle perfect florets; Glumes present, lanceolate to linear, 3-7 veined, subequal in length, with awns or not; lemmas with awns or not; many habitats, often in fields or disturbed areas; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2013]

rhizomes Leaf blade with many small veins, none overly prominent Spikelets sessile, overlapping, with flat Quackgrass – p2 side adjacent to rachis, rachis slightly Elymus repens (L.) Gould (Introduced) curved and flattened on side of spikelet [V Max Brown, 2013]

Floret, anther shown

Single Spikelet, with 4 florets, can have 3-8 florets

4 florets

1.2 mm

glumes Lemma Palea Hairy [Downy] Wild Rye – p1 USDA Elymus villosus Muhl. ex Willd. Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) Nixa, Christian County, Missouri Notes: perennial, erect, to 1.5 m, forming clumps; Culm terete, nodes swollen, greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades to 30+ cm, to 1+ cm wide, green and shiny, not glaucous, usually somewhat hairy above; Leaf Sheaths, especially lower ones, very hairy, auricles present, brown to reddish; Ligules membranous, about 1 mm or less; Inflorescence a spike, up to 12+ cm, tending to nod (not ascending); usually 2 spikelets per node; 1 or 2 Florets; Glumes present, 2-8 mm wide, linear, Ligule and up to 3 cm (including awn); Lemma to 1.2+ cm (including awn) mostly straight, usually very hairy, sometimes not; Palea somewhat smaller; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2013]

Auricles

note villous leaf sheath (unmatted long soft hair)

90 cm Hairy [Downy] Wild Rye – p2 Elymus villosus Muhl. ex Willd. [V Max Brown, 2013]

2 (paired) Spikelets with florets Inflorescence nodding at maturity 2 Spikelet with florets

Thin and hairy Glumes with awns to 1.5 cm, hairy Lemmas with awns to 3+ cm

3 mm

Lemmas Somewhat linear usually very Glumes, 1-3 nerved hairy above base

Attachment to rachis Virginia Wild Rye – p1 USDA Elymus virginicus L. Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) La Petite Gemme Prairie, Polk County, Missouri Notes: Plants without rhizomes, erect, to 1.5 m, forming clumps; Culm terete, nodes swollen, greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades to 30+ cm, < 2 cm wide, hairy or not, rough or not; Leaf Sheaths, hairy or not, with a small auricle; Ligules membranous, about 1 mm or less; Inflorescence a spike, up to 16+ cm, mostly erect; usually with 2 spikelets (up to 1.5 mm) per node; up to 6 florets, usually 3-4, fertile; Glumes present, bases terete, yellow and without nerves, glume then expands (flattened) with 3-5 nerves, usually scabridulous, ascending with an awn (total length to 3 to 4 cm); Lemmas glabrous or often very hairy (villous); late spring to early fall [several varieties are recognized by some] [V Max Brown, 2013] auricle

ligule Virginia Wild Rye – p2 Elymus virginicus L. [V Max Brown, 2013]

Inflorescence mostly Plant variable, several varieties are recognized by some erect, rarely nodding much, usually > 10 cm at maturity

Lemmas of some of the florets

Glumes Glumes, somewhat Glume “bowed” Glume in shape Outside view of spikelet pair Inside (next to Culm) view of spikelet pair

Yellowish, nerve-free, terete base of glume, expands upward with well developed veins, then awned above Little Barley – p1 USDA Hordeum pusillum Nutt. Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) Wire Road Conservation Area, Stone County, Missouri Notes: Plants annual, erect, to 50-60 cmn; Culm terete, greenish; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades to 11+ cm, < 5 cm wide, hairy or not; Leaf Sheaths hairy or not; Ligules membranous, about 1 mm or less; Inflorescence a crowded spike up to 9+ cm, mostly erect; usually with cluster of 3 spikelets – 2 lateral with a reduced and sterile floret and 1 central with a fertile floret; Glumes present, bases somewhat flattened and awned; see photos on next slide for details; various habitats including especially disturbed areas; late spring to early summer [V Max Brown, 2014] Little Barley – p2 Hordeum pusillum Nutt. [V Max Brown, 2014]

3 Spikelets at node, 1 central and 2 lateral

Inside view (next to rachis) outside view (away from rachis)

8 mm

Glumes Glumes Inflorescence usually erect Glumes to only slightly nodding, this example about 5 cm 2 smaller lateral Glumes, long (can vary to 9+ cm spikelets Larger central flattened long) (florets reduced spikelet with toward and sterile) fertile floret base Tall Wheatgrass - p1 USDA Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Z.-W. Liu & R.-C. Wang (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) Ozark Technical College, Christian County, Missouri Notes: Plant perennial, erect, up to 2 m; Culm terete, nodes little swollen and greenish; Roots fibrous, not Inflorencence rhizomatous; Leaf Blades < 1 cm, 8 or so ribs, small up to 40+ cm auricles present; Leaf Sheaths open most of way to node; Ligules membranous; Inflorescence a spike (up to 40+ cm); Spikelets up to 2 -3 cm, sessile, flattened, 8 or so Not rhizomatous attached flat side to rachis and alternating sides of prominent ribs rachis; Florets (6-12); glumes about the same size, distal end truncated, veins about same length across the glumes; Limmas up to 1+ cm; paleas somewhat shorter; plant is saline tolerant; summer [V Max Brown, 2013]

Small auricles Culms to 2 m

Ligule membranous

Spikes of bent plants Tall Wheatgrass – p2 Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Z.-W. Liu & R.-C. Wang (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2013]

palea

20 mm

Limmas of 1st two florets

Middle veins of truncated glumes mostly 6 to 12 florets in of same length Glumes typical Spikelets Common Wheat – p1 USDA Triticum aestivum L. (Introduced) Poaceae (Grass Family); Triticeae (Tribe) Nixa Area, Christian County, Missouri Notes: Plant annual, erect, to 1.5 m, usually smaller, forms clumps; Culm terete, nodes swollen and greenish, hairy or not; Roots fibrous; Leaf Blades glabrous or somewhat hairy, often rough, small auricles may be present; Leaf Sheaths hairy or not; Ligules membranous (up to 2+ mm), lacerate or not; Inflorescence a spike (5-10+ cm); Spikelets averaging 1 to 1.5 cm (excluding awns); Florets (usually 2 to 5, sometimes more, sessile on rachis, disarticulating above glumes; Glumes somewhat equal in size, ovate, off-centered, toothed or awned; Lemma mostly 8+ mm, 1 tooth usually extended into a roughened awn up to 1.5 to 4+ cm; Palea similar in size; Caryopse grooved; spring to summer [several races add diversity, with or without awns] [V Max Brown, 2013]

Ligule Common Wheat – p2 Dried fruit Triticum aestivum L. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2013]

Awned With Awns Lemma

Glume

Spikelet with 3 florets

Palea Awned Lemma

Spikelet with 3 florets Caryopsis

Glume Glume

Attachment to Rachis Part of Rachis torn away Ciliate at nodes and margins of rachis Common Wheat – p3 inflorescence Triticum aestivum L. (Introduced) [V Max Brown, 2013] spikelet Without Awns Florets

Palea Lemma Glumes Floret