Vulpia microstachys
Encyclopedia
Vulpia microstachys is a species of grass
known by the common names small fescue and small sixweeks grass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to Colorado
and New Mexico
to Baja California
, where it grows in many types of open habitat, including grassland
s. It is dominant on some grasslands of California
, and it was probably an abundant native grass before the habitat was altered by invasive non-native grasses
. It occurs on serpentine soil
s with associates such as serpentine reedgrass
(Calamagrostis ophitidis). It is also known from parts of South America. It is an annual grass producing one stem or a clump of several stems growing up to 75 centimeters tall. The inflorescence
has several open branches bearing clusters of purple-tinged spikelets. The spikelet has 1 to 6 flowers. The grass is usually cleistogamous
, its flowers fertilizing themselves.
There are four varieties which are sometimes difficult to tell apart; they are separated on the basis of the arrangement and amount of hairs on the spikelets.
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 small fescue and small sixweeks grass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it grows in many types of open habitat, including grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s. It is dominant on some grasslands of 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...
, and it was probably an abundant native grass before the habitat was altered by invasive non-native grasses
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
. It occurs on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s with associates such as serpentine reedgrass
Calamagrostis ophitidis
Calamagrostis ophitidis, serpentine reedgrass, is a species of bunch grass in the Poaceae family.It is endemic to California, where it grows in the serpentine soils of the mountain slopes north of the San Francisco Bay Area....
(Calamagrostis ophitidis). It is also known from parts of South America. It is an annual grass producing one stem or a clump of several stems growing up to 75 centimeters tall. 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...
has several open branches bearing clusters of purple-tinged spikelets. The spikelet has 1 to 6 flowers. The grass is usually cleistogamous
Cleistogamy
Cleistogamy or automatic self-pollination describes the trait of certain plants to propagate by using non-opening, self-pollinating flowers...
, its flowers fertilizing themselves.
There are four varieties which are sometimes difficult to tell apart; they are separated on the basis of the arrangement and amount of hairs on the spikelets.
- V. m. var. ciliata - Eastwood fescue
- V. m. var. confusa - confusing fescue
- V. m. var. microstachys - desert fescue
- V. m. var. pauciflora - Pacific fescue