Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
63. Poaceae, the Grass Family
17. Leptochloa Beauv.1. Leptochloa fascicularis (Lam.) A. Gray -- Bearded sprangletop
Tufted annual 1-4 dm tall, sometimes prostrate, somewhat succulent. Leaves strongly sheathing the culms, the upper ones usually surpassing and sheathing the inflorescences, the blades flat to involute, 1-3 mm wide, scaberulous; sheaths often purplish, glabrous; ligule elongate, often lacerate, 2-4 mm long. Inflorescence of several to many racemose branches, 5-20 cm long, the lower portion usually included by the uppermost sheath, the branches strongly ascending to weakly spreading, scabrous. Spikelets sessile or very short-pedicelled on the branches, 6- to 12-flowered, 7-20 mm long, disarticulating above the glumes; rachilla breaking between the florets at maturity into segments of 1 mm; glumes unequal, 1-nerved, the first lanceolate, 2-4 mm long, the second lanceolate to oblong, 4-5 mm long; lemmas acuminate, 4-5 mm long, decreasing upward, minutely notched at the apex and short-awned from between the minute teeth, 3-nerved, pubescent on the nerves toward the base; palea almost as long as the lemma body, nerved along the margins; anthers 0.1-0.4 mm long. Grain light brown, ellipsoid, flattened, 1.5-2.5 mm long. Jul--early Sep. Shores, stream banks, mud or sand flats and other places of temporarily standing water, especially where alkaline or saline; frequent from s ND and e WY to NE; (NH and NY to ND, s to FL, LA and TX, and in the w, WA and OR, s to AZ and CA; also in C. and S.Amer.).
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