Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Schizachyrium Nees

Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash

This species is accepted, and its native range is Canada to Mexico.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or short. Culms 50-150 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface to hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-3 mm long. Leaf-blades 15-30 cm long; 3-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous to hirsute. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Synflorescence compound; linear. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole linear; 4-6 cm long; herbaceous. Racemes 1; single; sinuous; 3-6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; ciliate on margins, or villous on margins. Rhachis internodes clavate. Rhachis internode tip cupuliform; with scarious rim. Spikelets ascending, or spreading; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; curved; ciliate, or villous.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes, or well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 1.5-7 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; muticous, or awned; one glume awned; with 1.5-3 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted. Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes, or well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 1.5-7 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; muticous, or awned; one glume awned; with 1.5-3 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled laterally; keeled obtusely. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct; 3 in number. Lower glume surface flat, or concave. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lanceolate lobes; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 8-15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.
Distribution
Asia-tropical: India. Pacific: north-central. North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico.
Reference
Andropogoneae. Fl Pak 1993.

Native to:

Alabama, Alberta, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Introduced into:

Chile Central, Hawaii, Pakistan

Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Fernald, M.L. [13248], Virginia K000974985 Unknown type material Yes
Fernald, M.L. [10092], Virginia K000974984 Unknown type material Yes

First published in J.K.Small, Fl. S.E. U.S.: 59 (1903)

Accepted by

  • Bor, N.L. (1970). Flora Iranica 70: 1-573. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Clayton, W.D. & Snow, N. (2010). A key to Pacific Grasses: 1-107. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Cope, T.A. (1982). Flora of Pakistan 143: 1-678. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
  • Dávila, P., Mejia-Saulés, M.T., Gómez-Sánchez, N., Valdés-Reyna, J., Ortíz, J.J., Morín, C., Castrejón, J. & Ocampo, A. (2006). Catálogo de las Gramíneas de México: 1-671. CONABIO, México city.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 25: 1-781. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Powell, A.M. & Worthington, R.D. (2018). Flowering plants of Trans-Pecos Texas and ajacent areas: 1-1444. BRIT Press.
  • Werier, D. (2017). Catalogue of the Vascular plants of New York state Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club 27: 1-542. New York Botanical Garden.
  • Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Bor, N.L. (1970). Flora Iranica 70: 1-573. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Dávila, P., Mejia-Saulés, M.T., Gómez-Sánchez, N., Valdés-Reyna, J., Ortíz, J.J., Morín, C., Castrejón, J. & Ocampo, A. (2006). Catálogo de las Gramíneas de México: 1-671. CONABIO, México city.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 25: 1-781. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

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    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
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