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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

California Oatgrass
Danthonia californica Boland.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Grass (Gramineae)
Flowering: May-August
Field Marks: This grass has small panicles that consist of only 3-5 spikelets. The 1/2-inch long lemmas are hairy near the base and bear a twisted awn 1/3-1/2 inch long.
Habitat: Meadows and open hillsides.
Habit: Densely tufted perennial with fibrous roots and last year's brown leaf sheaths persistent at base of plant.
Stems: Upright, hollow, up to 3 feet tall, smooth.
Leaves: Elongated, flat or sometimes rolled into a tube, up to 10 inches long, up to 1/6 inch wide, rough to the touch and usually with a few long hairs along the margins; sheaths with a few long hairs at the tip.
Flowers: Borne in 5- to 8-flowered, usually purple, spikelets, with 3-5 spikelets arranged in a small panicle up to 3 inches long; branches of the panicles usually hairy; glumes 1/2-3/4 inch long, smooth or slightly rough; lemmas 1/3-1/2 inch lo
Sepals: 0.
Petals: 0.
Stamens: 3.
Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth.
Grains: Ellipsoid, smooth.
Notes: The grains are eaten by small birds and mammals.

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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:23:51 EST
Menlo Park, CA [caww55]