A VEGETATIVE KEY TO GRASSES Ellen McDouall START: LEAF BLADES: Bristle-like Table 1 (page 1) Flat 20m LIGULE: A fringe of hairs Table 2 (page 4) m Membranous YOUNGEST LEAF BLADE: Folded in shoot Table 3 (page 5) Rolled in shoot AURICLES: Present Table 4 (page 8) Absent SHEATHS: Tubular,closed Table 5 (page10) Wrapped,open Table 6 (page 11) 15cm NOTES: * ------------- end of line through key Habit rhizomatous leaves yellowish or light green, more or less hairy, 32 *N (29)---------- refers back to previous pair of characters in line (31) may have few prickle-like hairs on margins; calcareous grassland. (D. rigida) - old synonym Tor Grass Brachypodium pinnatum tufted or 33 N ----------- species is notable in Avon area stoloniferous AW -------- Ancient woodland Indicator Species 33 Leaf blades less than 4mm 34 (32) wide over 4mm wide 35 34 Habit loosely tufted sheaths whitish; leaves pale green & dull below, * (33) usually flat; drier grassland. Yellow Oat-grass Trisetum flavescens compactly tufted often small compact tufts but may grow to 40cm; *N ligule up to 1mm; leaves & sheathes densely - loosely hairy or downy; dry grassland. Crested Hair-grass Koeleria macrantha (K. cristata) 35 Persistence annual annual Oats Avena fatua, A. sterilis & A. sativa * (33) perennial in woods & shady places. 36 Poa pratense, Helictotrichon pratense and Helictotrichon pubescens 36 Lower shortly hairy sheaths slightly hairy; ligules short & blunt; leaves * (35) sheaths finely veined & pale - bright green. Bearded Study of pot-grown specimens together with several years of personal confusion over Couch Elymus caninus (Agropyron caninum) the identification of these species from vegetative characteristics, suggests that with spreading sheaths usually densely hairy; leaves narrow * there may be very little difference between them. Young, undeveloped leaves of H. hairs towards sheath; drooping & sparsely hairy. False pubescens may be hairless or very nearly so and all show characteristic boat-shaped Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum leaf tips, relatively thick, stiff and greyish blades with deep channels either side of the mid-rib (tramlines). Tips are: to consider the environment – Helictotrichon species are found on basic soils. H. pratense should have tiny white dots on the underside of the leaf. H. pubescens – check very carefully for any hairs at all. 15 TABLE 1 - Leaves bristle-like. 1 Persistence annual 2 24 leaves 1-4mm wide, up to ligules 0.5-2mm long 25 perennial 4 (23) 15cm long wider; up to 15mm; 26 2 Ligule less than leaves minutely hairy, few-ribbed; 0.5-3mm wide; *N 6-40cm long (1) 1mm long sheaths smooth; dry grassland, arable & waste land. Annual Fescues Vulpia spp. 25 Basal streaked yellow or leaves shiny on underside; plant generally tough; * (23) sheaths yellow-brown common in pasture. up to 5mm long leaves hairless, 0.3-0.5mm wide, keeled, folded in Crested Dog's-tail Cynosurus cristatus shoot; dry places. 3 whitish leaves pale green & dull below; drier grassland. * 3 Sheath minutely rough plants tufted or solitary; leaves, thread-like, 0.5-5cm *N Yellow Oat-grass Trisetum flavescens (2) long, greyish-green; sandy places. Silvery Hair-grass Aira caryophyllea 26 Ligules 3-10mm long ligule rounded; leaves dull green & rough on * (24) margins; loosely tufted; in woods. AW smooth plant delicate, in small tufts or single shoots; leaves *N Wood Millet Milium effusum up to 5cm long, green or reddish; sandy places. Early Hair-grass Aira praecox up to 3mm 27 4 Habitat Coastal dunes or Often a dominant or significant component of sward 5 27 Basal purple-brown ligule 1-2.5mm long; leaves bluntly ribbed & dull * (1) salt-marsh (26) sheaths green; meadows. Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis Various grasslands 7 but not influenced green; yellow or ligules blunt 0.5-1.5mm long; leaves finely veined, * but salt water whitish pale - bright green; shady places. Bearded Couch Elymus caninus (Agropyron caninum) 5 Ligule 10-30mm long compact tufts or spreading shoots; sheaths *N (4) overlapping; leaves tightly inrolled & sharp-pointed; 28 Sheaths hairless 29 extensive rhizomes; sand dunes, common. Marram (4) hairy may only be hairy in tuft at top of sheath 31 grass Ammophila arenaria 29 Leaves very glossy on sheaths streaked yellow or yellow-brown; plant * up to 4mm may be obscure 6 underside generally tough; common in pasture. Crested Dog's-tail Cynosurus cristatus 6 Sheaths hairless densely tufted or loosely spreading; rooting stolons *N (5) produced in summer only. Leaves greyish to dark dull or slightly 30 green, often folded or rolled. shiny under Common Salt-marsh-grass Puccinellia maritima 30 Ligule less than 1mm long ligule very blunt; leaves bluish-green. *N Hairy/ downy plant variable; leaves minutely hairy & usually at * (29) Sea Barley Hordeum marinum least 2x longer than sheaths. 4-12mm long ligule blunt & ragged; leaves dull green, rather *N Red Fescue Festuca rubra coarse & rough; damp places including woods. 7 Sheath hairy or downy 8 Wood Small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos (4) 31 Sheath bearded at top tastes of bitter almond (coumarin); otherwise * (28) variable. Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum hairless 9 odoratum more or less hairy 32 but not as above. 14 1 17 Ligule less than 1mm long plant slender; ligule very blunt; rough on leaf veins *N 8 Ligule less than plant variable; leaves minutely hairy & usually at * (16) and margins; salt marshes. (7) 0.5mm long least 2x longer than sheaths. Sea Hard-grass Parapholis strigosa Red Fescue Festuca rubra 0.5-3mm long ligule usually obvious; blunt & ragged; leaves rough 18 Ligule more than 0.5mm often small compact tufts but may grow to 40cm; *N only on upper surface or veins. long ligule up to 1mm; leaves & sheaths densely to loosely hairy or downy; dry grassland. Crested 18 leaf blades ribbed above coastal; dry places. Sea Fern-grass Catapodium *N Hair-grass Koeleria macrantha (K. cristata) (16) marinum (Desmazeria marina) 9 Sheaths lower sheaths stiff densely tufted, shoots only 1-noded; blunt, short *N not as above sheaths with broad hyaline margin toward tops; dry *N (7) & shiny ligule; leaves sharp-pointed, stiff & tightly rolled, or calcareous grassland. Fern-grass Catapodium lower at right-angle to shoot, c.0.5mm wide. Heaths rigidum (Desmazeria rigida) & moors. Mat grass Nardus stricta 19 Habit stoloniferous 20 not as above 10 (13) tufted may form dense tussocks or loose tufts 22 20 Leaf blades 1-2mm wide ligule 2-4mm long & pointed; fine leafy tufts on *N 10 Sheaths closed common in commercial grass seed mixes. * (19) nodes of slender stolons, often rooting; damp & wet (9) Chewings Fescue Festuca rubra ssp. commutata places; usually acid. open 11 Velvet Bent Agrostis canina (A. canina canina) 11 Habit with stolons fine leafy tufts on nodes of slender stolons; often *N blades wider ligules rounded or blunt 21 (10) rooting; ligule 2-4mm long & pointed; leaves 1- 21 Sheaths greenish or with ligule 1-6mm blunt rounded; tufts of shoots from * 2mm wide, damp & wet places, usually acid. (19) red/purple tinge rooting stolons; wide range of conditions (tolerates Velvet Bent Agrostis canina (A. canina canina) wet & shade). no stolons 12 Creeping Bent Agrostis stolonifera 12 Habit with rhizomes may have small tufts spread along long rhizome. 13 whitish or waxy ligule 2-5mm long & rounded; shoots sharply bent * at lower nodes, sometimes rooting there; damp (11) tufted individual shoots may have short rhizomes, usually 14 places. Marsh Foxtail Alopecurus geniculatus (also less than 10mm long. rarer A. aequalis) 13 Ligule 1-5mm long densely tufted shoots from rhizomes, hairless; *N 22 Leaf blades with prominent dense tussocks or small loose tufts; ligules pointed, * (12) ligules pointed & ragged; upland grassland, (20) ribs & furrows up to 15mm long; leaves rough on ribs, 2-5mm wide common. Brown Bent Agrostis vinealis (Agrostis & many times longer than sheath; damp woods & canina ssp. montana) grassland. less than small compact tufts; lower sheaths keeled; ligules *N Tufted Hair-grass Deschampsia caespitosa 1mm long rounded, the lower very short; leaves bluntly keeled; not as above 23 dry & calcareous grassland. Narrow-leaved Meadow-grass Poa angustifolia 23 Top of bearded leaves & sheaths sparsely hairy or hairless; tastes of * (22) sheath bitter almond (coumarin); otherwise variable. 14 Ligules sharp, pointed 2-8mm long 15 Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum (12) not as above 24 blunt or obscure 16 2 13 15 Leaf blades more than 0.3mm dense tussocks or small loose tufts; ligules blunt, * 9 Leaves with cross-veins leaves green or whitish-green. * (14) wide 0.5-3mm long; leaves hairless, inrolled, 0.3-0.8mm (8) Reed Canary-grass Phalaris arundinacea wide and up to 20cm+ long; sheaths upwardly no cross-veins leaves dull green; also in woodland. * rough; acid woods & grassland. Wood Small-reed Calamagrostis epejos Wavy Hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa less than densely tufted or turf-forming; leaves bristle-like, * 10 Ligules wider than long 11 0.3mm wide hairless; sheaths fall away from stalk easily, lower (8) straw-coloured; ligules 2-4mm long, pointed; dry longer or as long as 12 acid grassland (S & W Britain) wide Bristle Bent Agrostis curtisii (A. setacea) 11 Leaf blades usually under 2x leaves medium to dark green; common on dry or * 16 Leaf blades 0.3 - 0.6mm densely tufted or turf-forming; leaves tightly * (10) length of sheath poor grassland. Common Bent Agrostis capillaris (14) wide inrolled with 5-7 veins; sheaths open with rounded (Agrostis tenuis) auricles; ligules very short; poor, dry grassland. usually over 2x leaves yellowish or light green, more or less hairy, *N Sheep's-fescue Festuca ovina length of sheath may have few prickle-like hairs on margins; 0.2 - 0.4mm as above but not turf-forming; leaves mostly with 5 * calcareous grassland.