familyPoaceae
subfamilyPoaceae subfam. Danthonioideae
tribePoaceae tribe Danthonieae
genusDanthonia
speciesDanthonia californica

Danthonia californica

Bol.
Stephen J. Darbyshire
Common names: California oatgrass
Synonyms: Danthonia macounii Danthonia californica var. americana
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 305.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Hana Pazdírková, Linda A. Vorobik

Copyright: Utah State University

Culms (10) 30-130 cm, disarticulating at the nodes at maturity. Sheaths glabrous or pilose, upper sheaths usually glabrous or unevenly pilose; blades 10-30 cm long, (1) 2-5 (6) mm wide, flat to rolled or involute, glabrous or pilose, uppermost cauline blades strongly divergent to reflexed at maturity. Inflorescences usually racemose, with (2) 3-6 (10) widely-spreading spikelets; branches flexible, strongly divergent to reflexed at maturity, pulvini usually present at the base; pedicels on the lowest branch longer than the spikelets, often crinkled. Spikelets (10) 14-26 (30) mm. Calluses of middle florets usually longer than wide, concave abaxially; lemma bodies 5-10 mm, glabrous or sparsely pilose over the back, margins pubescent (rarely glabrous), apical teeth (2) 4-6 (7) mm, aristate; awns (7) 8-12 mm; anthers to 4 mm. Caryopses 2.5-4.2 mm long, 1.3-1.6 mm wide. 2n = 36.

Distribution

Mass., N.Mex., Wash., Utah, Calif., Oreg., Alta., B.C., Sask., Mont., Wyo., Colo., Ariz., Idaho, Nev., S.Dak.

Discussion

Danthonia californica grows in prairies, meadows, and open woods. It has a disjunct distribution, one por¬tion of its range being located in western North America, the other in Chile. An introduced population has been found at Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Plants with pilose foliage have been called Danthonia californica var. americana (Scribn.) Hitchc. and plants with sparsely pilose lemma backs D. californica var. macounii Hitchc, but the variation does not appear to be taxonomically significant.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Danthonia californica"
RDF feed
2n chromosome quantity
36 +
Abaxial ligule presence
absent +
Abaxial ligule quantity
common +
Adaxial cell presence
absent +
Adaxial cell quantity
Not (?) +
Adaxial cell shape
bulliform +
Adaxial ligule architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Adaxial ligule presence
absent +
Adaxial ligule texture
membranous +
Anther quantity
3 +
Anther size
minute +
Anther some measurement
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Apex architecture or shape
bifid +
Apex shape
obtuse +, awned +  and mucronate +
Apical flap texture
membranous +
Apical tooth atypical some measurement
2 +
Apical tooth shape
aristate +
Apical tooth some measurement
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Arm cell anatomy
kranz +
Arm cell presence
absent +
Auricle presence
absent +
Author
Stephen J. Darbyshire +
Authority
Bol. +
Awn architecture
twisted +
Awn atypical quantity
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Awn atypical some measurement
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (?) +
Awn orientation
arising +
Awn quantity
1 +
Awn shape
geniculate +
Awn some measurement
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Back pubescence
pilose +  and glabrous +
Back shape
keeled +  and rounded +
Basal segment architecture
twisted +
Basal segment prominence or shape
flat +
Base architecture
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
Base arrangement
separated +
Base position
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
Base size
swelling +
Base texture
hard +
Base width
thick +
Blade architecture
not pseudopetiolate +
Blade architecture or arrangement
non-radiate +
Blade length
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
Blade position
adaxial +
Blade pubescence
pilose +  and glabrous +
Blade shape
flat +  and rolled or involute +
Blade width
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Branch arrangement
divergent +
Branch fragility
pliable +
Branch orientation
reflexed +
Branch pubescence
hirsute +  and scabrous +
Branch shape
spikelike +
Callus length or size
usually longer than wide +
Callus pubescence
strigose +
Callus shape
concave +
Caryopsis arrangement
separate +
Caryopsis coloration
brown +
Caryopsis length
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.42 cm4.2 mm <br />0.0042 m <br />) +
Caryopsis shape
flattened +, ovate +  and obovate +
Caryopsis some measurement
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
Caryopsis width
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
Cleistogene architecture
not disarticulating +
Cleistogene presence
absent +
Common name
California oatgrass +
Culm architecture
disarticulating +
Culm architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Culm atypical some measurement
10 +
Culm duration
perennial +  and annual +
Culm growth form
climbing +
Culm growth form or location
floating +
Culm orientation
erect +
Culm some measurement
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (130 cm1,300 mm <br />1.3 m <br />) +
Culm texture
woody +  and herbaceous +
Distal cell length or size
long +
Distal cell size or width
narrow +
Distal floret architecture
staminate +
Distribution
Mass. +, N.Mex. +, Wash. +, Utah +, Calif. +, Oreg. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Sask. +, Mont. +, Wyo. +, Colo. +, Ariz. +, Idaho +, Nev. +  and S.Dak. +
Embryo size
small +  and large +
Endosperm texture
hard +
Filament shape
capillary +
Floret architecture
pistillate +
Floret arrangement
adjacent +
Floret atypical quantity
1 +  and 10 +
Floret length or size
sometimes longer +
Floret quantity
1 +, 3 +  and 12 +
Floret reproduction
bisexual +
Floret shape
compressed +
Floret size
cleistogamous +  and chasmogamous +
Fusoid cell presence
absent +
Glume architecture
(1)3-7-veined +
Glume architecture or shape
awned +
Glume position
subtending +
Glume quantity
2 +
Glume size
subequal +
Glume variability
equal +
Hair quantity
few +
Hair shape
non-uncinate +
Hilum arrangement or course or shape
linear +
Hilum coloration or relief
punctate +
Hilum quantity
1/3 +  and 3/4 +
Illustration
Present +
Illustration copyright
Utah State University +
Illustrator
Linda A. Vorobik +  and Hana Pazdírková +
Inflorescence architecture
spicate +  and ebracteate +
Inflorescence arrangement
racemose +
Inflorescence position or structure subtype
terminal +
Internode architecture
solid +  and hollow +
Internode length
elongated +
Keel pubescence
scabrous +  and glabrous +
Layer presence
absent +
Leaf arrangement
distichous +
Leaf margin arrangement
Overlapping (?) +
Lemma apex architecture or shape
bilobed +
Lemma architecture
3-9-veined +
Lemma architecture or shape
entire +
Lemma body architecture
(5)7-11-veined +
Lemma body pubescence
pilose +  and glabrous +
Lemma body some measurement
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Lemma pubescence
scabrous +  and glabrous +
Lemma shape
rounded +
Lemma texture
coriaceous +
Ligule presence
absent +
Lobe quantity
2 (?) +
Lobe shape
acute +  and aristate +
Lodicule fusion
free +
Lodicule prominence
inconspicuous +
Lodicule pubescence
with a few hairs +  and glabrous +
Lodicule quantity
2 +
Lodicule texture
fleshy +
Lower glume architecture
1-7-veined +
Lower glume length or size
longer +
Lower glume pubescence or texture
Chartaceous (?) +
Lower glume shape
lanceolate +
Lowest branch length or size
longer +
Margin pubescence
pubescent +
Microhair presence
absent +
Midrib architecture
simple +
Midvein size
extended +
Node prominence
concealed +  and prominent +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Other quantity
2 +  and 1 +
Ovary development
developed +
Ovary presence
absent +
Ovary pubescence
glabrous +
Palea architecture
2-veined +
Palea development
well-developed +
Palea height or length or size
short +
Palea length or size
sometimes slightly longer +
Palea shape
keeled +
Papilla presence
absent +
Pedicel length or size
longer +
Pedicel pubescence
hirsute +  and scabrous +
Pedicel shape
crinkled +
Pericarp arrangement
separating +
Pericarp condition or texture
dry +
Pericarp texture
dry +  and fleshy +
Pulvinus presence
absent +
Raceme some measurement
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
Rachilla extension presence
absent +
Rachilla pubescence
glabrous +
Rachilla segment length or size
longer +
Rachis prominence
evident +
Rachis pubescence
hirsute +  and scabrous +
Reference
None +
Sheath architecture
open +
Sheath condition
closed +
Sheath pubescence
pilose +  and glabrous +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V25/V25 967.xml +
Spikelet architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Spikelet atypical quantity
10 (2) +
Spikelet atypical some measurement
10 +
Spikelet fixation
attached +
Spikelet orientation
Widely-spreading (?) +
Spikelet quantity
3 +  and 6 +
Spikelet reproduction
sterile +, bisexual +  and unisexual +
Spikelet shape
compressed +  and terete +
Spikelet some measurement
1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
Stamen quantity
1 +  and 3 +
Starch-grain architecture
compound +
Starch-grain architecture or shape
cleft +
Starch-grain presence
absent +
Style-branch atypical quantity
4 +  and 1 +
Style-branch quantity
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Style quantity
2 +
Subsidiary-cell architecture
parallel-sided +
Subsidiary-cell shape
dome--shaped +
Synonyms
Danthonia macounii +  and Danthonia californica var. americana +
Taxon family
Poaceae +
Taxon name
Danthonia californica +
Taxon parent
Danthonia +
Taxon rank
species +
Terminal floret size
reduced +
Tissue coloration
hyaline +
Tissue texture
membranous +
Upper sheath pubescence
pilose +  and glabrous +
Uppermost cauline blade arrangement
divergent +
Uppermost cauline blade orientation
Reflexed (?) +
Vascular-bundle quantity
1 +
Vein presence
absent +
Vein pubescence or relief
scabrous +
Vein quantity
2 (?) +
Vein size
major +
Volume
Volume 25 +
Whole organism architecture
rhizomatous +
Whole organism arrangement or pubescence
tufted +
Whole organism duration
perennial +
Whole organism growth form
plant +  and cespitose +
Whole organism growth form or habitat
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
X chromosome quantity
12 +