Ehrharta calycina
Encyclopedia
Ehrharta calycina is a species of grass
known by the common names perennial veldtgrass and purple veldtgrass. It is native to southern Africa, but it is known elsewhere as an introduced species
, often becoming weedy. It is particularly troublesome in California
, where it is an invasive weed of chaparral
and coastal sage scrub
habitat along the southern and central coastal regions. It was first introduced to Davis, California
, as a drought-tolerant range grass for grazing. It is also known as a weed in parts of Australia
. This is a highly variable perennial grass, often but not always rhizomatous
, reaching usually 30 to 70 centimeters tall but known to grow much taller. The inflorescence
is a narrow to wide open array of spikelets light in color when new and becoming darker and tinted purple to reddish with age.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common names perennial veldtgrass and purple veldtgrass. It is native to southern Africa, but it is known elsewhere as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, often becoming weedy. It is particularly troublesome in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is an invasive weed of chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...
habitat along the southern and central coastal regions. It was first introduced to Davis, California
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, as a drought-tolerant range grass for grazing. It is also known as a weed in parts of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This is a highly variable perennial grass, often but not always rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, reaching usually 30 to 70 centimeters tall but known to grow much taller. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a narrow to wide open array of spikelets light in color when new and becoming darker and tinted purple to reddish with age.