Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Alopecurus monspeliensis
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Introduced
Season
Cool
Warm
Sandy soil along streams, moist ditches and disturbed areas.
Plant Community
Riparian
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
500
High elevation
8200
General Description
Erect or ascending annual. Stems usually bent as at the knee or elbow joint, curving upward from a reclining or horizontal base. Seedhead usually ovoid, dense, spikelike and bristly, one per stem.
Annual, stems erect or branching at the base, flat blades. A densely flowered spike-like seedhead that is pale green and bristly with conspicuous yellowish awns on the glumes.
Grass type
Annual
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
12 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - contracted
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
October
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
1/4 inch to 1 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Soft silky, dense, spikelike seedheads. Spikelets have one fertile floret and are borne on short stalks and are laterally compressed.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Elongated, narrow, up to 8 inches long, up to 1/3 inch wide, rough along the edges, otherwise smooth. Conspicuously ridged on the upper surface.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Not available.