Enteropogon chlorideus
Illustrator: Hana Pazdírková, Linda A. Vorobik
Copyright: Utah State University
Plants perennial; cespitose and rhizomatous, each rhizome terminating in a cleistogamous spikelet. Culms to 100 cm, erect. Sheaths sparsely pilose near the ligules; ligules of lower leaves with a single prominent tuft of hairs; ligules of upper leaves usually glabrous; blades to 30 cm long, to 1 cm wide, usually scabrous, occasionally pilose. Panicles with 3-10 (15) racemosely arranged branches, usually most nodes with more than 1 branch; branches 6-10 cm, naked below, with about 4 spikelets per cm distally. Spikelets with 1 bisexual and 1 sterile floret. Lower glumes 1-2 mm; upper glumes 2-3.5 mm; lower lemmas 4.5-7.5 mm long, about 1 mm wide, linear to narrowly lanceolate, glabrous or the margins sparsely strigose above, apices acute to acuminate, often bidentate, unawned or awned, awns 6.5-15 mm; sterile florets 1.4-3 mm long, to 0.3 mm wide, awns 2-8 mm. Chasmogamous caryopses about 4.5 mm long, about 0.8 mm wide; cleistogamous caryopses to 4 mm long, about 2.5 mm wide. 2n = 40, 80.
Discussion
Enteropogon chlorideus is native from the south-western United States through Mexico to Honduras. The spikelet-bearing rhizomes distinguish Enteropogon from most other grasses, but they are often missing from herbarium specimens. Seed set is highest in the cleistogamous spikelets.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
"decumbent" is not a number.