Melica fugax

Bol.
Common names: Little melic
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 97.

Plants cespitose, not rhizomatous. Culms 10-60 cm, forming corms; internodes smooth or scabridulous. Sheaths scabridulous to scabrous; ligules 0.5-2.6 mm; blades 1.2-5 mm wide, sometimes pilose on both surfaces. Panicles 4.5-18 cm; branches 0.8-4 cm, appressed to ascending, with 1-5 spikelets; pedicels straight. Spikelets 4-17 mm, with 2-5 bisexual florets; rachilla internodes 2.1-2.3 mm, swollen when fresh, wrinkled when dry; disarticulation above the glumes. Lower glumes 3-5 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, 1-3-veined; upper glumes 3.5-7 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide, 5-veined; lemmas 4-7 mm, glabrous or scabrous, 4-11-veined, veins inconspicuous, apices rounded to acute, unawned; paleas almost as long as the lemmas; anthers 3, 1-2 mm; rudiments 1.5-3.5 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets. 2n =18.

Distribution

Calif., Wash., Idaho, Nev., Oreg.

Discussion

Melica fugax grows at elevations to 2200 m on dry, open flats, hillsides, and woods, from British Columbia to California and east to Idaho and Nevada. It is usually found on soils of volcanic origin, and rarely below 1300 m. Melica fugax is often confused with M. bulbosa, but its rachilla internodes are unmistakable and unique among the species in the Flora region, being swollen when fresh and wrinkled when dry. One specimen, C.L. Hitchcock 15521 [WTU 114265] from Elmore County, Idaho, appears to be a hybrid. It has shrunken caryopses and combines the rachilla of M. fugax with the lemma pubescence, size, and overall appearance of M. subulata, but lacks corms.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Melica fugax"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
rounded +  and acute +
Mary E. Barkworth +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and apical +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
persistent +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
folded +  and flat +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
appressed;ascending +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
Little melic +
not branching +
ascending +  and erect +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
not woody +
Calif. +, Wash. +, Idaho +, Nev. +  and Oreg. +
0 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
sometimes longer +
2 +  and 5 +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter than to longer than the adjacent lemmas +
subtending +
chartaceous +  and membranous +
uncinate +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
scabrous +  and glabrous +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
coriaceous +  and membranous +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
1.5mm +  and 2.5mm +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
reduced +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
scabrous +  and strigose +
dry +  and fleshy +
scabridulous +  and scabrous +
not viviparous +
compressed +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
collar-like +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Melica fugax +
species +
membranous +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
2.5mm +  and 3.5mm +
inconspicuous +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +