Vulpia ciliata

Dumort.
Common names: Fringed fescue
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 454.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Culms 6-45 cm, loosely tufted. Sheaths smooth, glabrous; ligules 0.2-0.5 mm; blades 3.5-10 cm long, about 0.4 mm wide, folded to involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces puberulent. Inflorescences 3-20 cm long, 0.3-1.5 cm wide, panicles or spicate racemes, usually partially enclosed in the uppermost sheaths at maturity, with 1 branch per node, axillary pulvini absent. Spikelets 5-10.5 mm, with 4-10 florets; rachilla internodes 0.4-0.9 mm. Glumes glabrous; lower glumes 0.1-1.3 mm, less than 1/3 the length of the upper glumes; upper glumes 1.5-4 mm; lemmas 4-7.7 mm, 3 (5) -veined, usually pubescent on the midvein, sometimes also on the body, rarely glabrous on both, margins ciliate, hairs to 1 mm, awns 6-15.3 mm; paleas slightly shorter than to equaling the lemmas, apices entire; anthers 0.4-0.6 (1.6) mm. Caryopses 3.4-6.5 mm. 2n = 42.

Discussion

Vulpia ciliata is native to Europe, the Mediterranean area, and southwest and central Asia. It grows in open, dry habitats. It is easily distinguished from other members of the genus because of its upper glumes with broadly membranous tips that break off, making the glumes appear truncate or blunt. In the Flora region, it was known until recently only from an old ballast, dump record from Philadelphia. In May 2004, it was collected immediately north of the Odgen Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Weber County, Utah, in an upland area of the site. The source of the seeds is not known.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Vulpia ciliata"
membranous +  and scarious +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (?) +
3 +  and 1 +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
acute +  and acuminate mucronate or awned +
Robert I. Lonard +
Dumort. +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.53 cm15.3 mm <br />0.0153 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
not evident +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
folded +  and involute +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +
spreading;appressed +
spikelike +
Fringed fescue +
not branching +
ascending +  and erect +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
not woody +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
4 +  and 10 +
sterile +  and bisexual +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
subulate +  and lanceolate +
unequal +
uncinate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (?) +  and 20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (?) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
lanceolate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.77 cm7.7 mm <br />0.0077 m <br />) +
membranous +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
hairy +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
spikelike +
dry +  and fleshy +
1 +  and 60 +
compressed +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.05 cm10.5 mm <br />0.0105 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Vulpia ciliata +
species +
membranous +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
perennial +  and annual +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +