Western Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Deschampsia elongata (Hook.) Munro
- Family: Grass (Gramineae)
- Flowering: June-August
- Field Marks: The field characteristics of this grass are the very narrow leaves crowded at the base of the plant, the narrow panicle with strongly ascending branches, and the lemmas that have a tuft of hairs at the base and a slender awn that is
- Habitat: Wet meadows, along streams, around ponds and lakes.
- Habit: Tufted perennial with fibrous roots.
- Stems: Upright, slender, hollow, unbranched, up to 2 feet tall, not hairy.
- Leaves: Most of them crowded at the base of the plant, thread-like, up to 4 inches long, about 1/20 inch wide; those on the stem linear, to 1/4 inch wide.
- Flowers: Borne in 2- or 3-flowered spikelets, the spikelets arranged in narrow panicles with ascending, thread-like branches, the panicles up to 12 inches long; glumes up to 1/3 inch long, hairy; lemmas up to 1/8 inch long, with a tuft of hairs
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth.
- Grains: Ovoid, smooth.
- Notes: This grass may be used as nesting cover for quail and other birds.
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