Open-headed Grasses
Grasses - Poaceae
These grasses tend to have either small spikelets clustered at the ends of long side branches, or spikes with widely-spaced branches, giving the overall flower spike a very open appearance. See also meadow-grasses.
Smilo-grass Oloptum miliaceum(Piptatherum miliaceum, Oryzopsis miliacea) Found throughout the world's tropical and subtropical regions. Forms patches in damp places along barrancos.
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Thomas's Smilo-grass Oloptum thomasii
Native to the Mediterranean Region. Differs from Smilo-grass largely in the lower branches of the flower panicle, which are sterile and rather stiffly arranged around the stem. Many taxonomists consider this as a subspecies or merely a form of Smilo-grass.
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Tall Fescue Lolium arundinaceum
Native throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Region to Central Asia. Plants 45-200cm in height, often forming tough tussocks, except where regularly mown or grazed. Leaf blades tough, long strap-like, 3-12mm wide, hairless or slightly hairy beneath, tapering to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded, not fused together around the stem and ending in two, wing-like auricles that have a few bristles on their margins. Ligule membranous, short. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading at anthesis. Spikelets 10-18mm with 3-10 florets. Lemmas shortly awned or awnless. The coarse nature of this plant, with its tall flower spikes and tough, strap-like leaves are distinctive features.
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Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus
Native throughout Europe and much of the Mediterranean Region. Plants 20-100cm in height, variously as spaced stems or densely tussock-forming according to land use and management. Leaf blades 3-10mm wide, softly hairy or downy, flat and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, hairy. Ligule membranous, short to medium. Flower spike very narrow when young and typically pinkish-purple in colour, spreading at anthesis and remaining open with age. Spikelets 4-6mm with usually 2 florets. Lemmas keeled, the lower unawned, uppers shortly awned, making a good distinction from the true meadow-grasses. Can be mistaken for a meadow-grass when the flowering spike is fully open, but the whole plant is very much downier and the narrow flower spike before the flowers open is very different to the meadow-grasses.
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Black Bent Agrostis gigantea
Native throughout most of Eurasia and the Mediterranean Region. Typically a plant of disturbed and cultivated ground. Plants 40-120cm in height, tufted and producing long, creeping rhizomes. Leaf blades 2-8mm wide, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, rolled when young but eventually flat. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth or rough. Leaf ligule membranous, 1.5-12mm in length, relatively long. Flower spike narrow when young but soon open and spreading at anthesis. Spikelets tiny, 2-3mm, clustered towards the tips of very fine branchlets with a single floret in each spikelet. Lemmas not awned.
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Creeping Bent Agrostis stolonifera
Native throughout most of Eurasia and the Mediterranean Region. Naturally occurs typically as a plant of damp places but is also introduced and widespread as a constituent of lawns and a weed of cultivated ground. Plants to 80cm in height and forming dense, creeping mats by way of leafy stolons that root from the nodes. Leaf blades 0.5-5mm wide, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, rolled when young but eventually flat. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Leaf ligule 1-6mm in length, membranous, medium to long. Flower spike very narrow when young, open and spreading at anthesis then closing again at fruiting. Spikelets tiny, 2-3mm, clustered towards the tips of very fine branchlets with a single floret in each spikelet. Lemmas not awned.
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Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia distans
Ntive thtoughout temperate and warm temperate Eurasia. Typically occurs in areas of high salt concentration, both near the coast and inland. Plants up to 60cm in height, tufted and not producing stolons but typically in rather loose, open colonies of plants on more open ground. Leaves greyish-green, hairless, bluntly pointed and hooded at the tip, 1-3mm wide, not inrolled. Leaf ligule membranous, 1-2mm long, bluntly rounded. Flower spike stiff and wiry, open and spreading at anthesis and often with the lower branches reflexed (sometimes not). Spikelets 3-9mm, densely packed with 2-9 florets and clustered towards the tips of the branches. Glumes 0.7-2.8mm, unequal, lemmas 1.5-2.8mm long.
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Loose Silky-bent Apera spica-venti
Native throughout most of mainland Europe and the Mediterranean Region, north-eastwards into western Asia and Siberia. Plants annual, 20-100cm in height. Leaf blades 3-10mm wide, hairless, pointed at the tip, flat. Leaf sheaths rounded, often rough towards the top. Leaf ligule membranous, 3-10mm long. Flower spike open and very diffuse, 10-25cm in length. Spikelets tiny, 2.4-3mm, single-flowered, spread further along the fine branches than is the case with the true bents. Glumes slightly to strongly unequal in size. Lemmas 2.4-3mm, as long as or slightly shorter than the upper glume with a 5-10mm awn. Anthers 1-2mm long. A distinctive and graceful grass, often strongly overtopping the crop in which it is growing.
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Elegant Hair-grass Aira elegans
Native to the Mediterranean Region and eastern Europe, eastwards to the Caucasus amd Iran.
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Common Cockspur-grass Echinochloa crus-galli
(Barnyard-grass) Native throughout most of the Old World and widely introduced elsewhere. Plants 30-120cm in height, forming loosely tufted clumps. Leaf blades broad, 10-20mm wide, with a pale midrib. Leaf sheaths keeled and smooth. Ligule absent. Flower spike upright at first, later strongly arching as the spikelets mature and with well spaced branches. Lowest branches often up to 10cm long and often further branched at the base. Spikelets 3-4mm, globular and densely packed, with two florets - the lower sterile or less often male and the upper bisexual. Lemmas unawned, or lower lemmas with an awn up to 5cm in length.
Compared with the other Echinochloa species covered here, this species tends to have a rather untidy look due to the presence of awns on its florets and the less regular arrangement of the spikelets.
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Johnson-grass Sorghum halepense
Native to North Africa and the Middle East, eastwards to Central and south-east Asia. Widely introduced and considered invasive elsewhere. Plants 100-250cm in height with strong, creeping rhizomes that produce spreading stands which are often invasive in warmer climes. Leaf blades up to 100cm long and 20mm wide, hairless, flat and long-pointed, rough-edged and with a pale midrib. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Ligule membranous, short, ragged. Flower spike very open and spreading at anthesis. Spikelets strangely asymmetrical and distinctive, typically consisting of a pair of spikelets, one stalked, 4.5-6.5mm long and consisting of a single, unawned, male floret; the other unstalked, 4.5-5mm long, awned and consisting of two florets - the lower sterile, the upper bisexual.
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Purple Moor-grass Molinia caerulea
Native throughout Europe and much of the Mediterranean Region. Plants 15-130cm in height, forming tight tussocks. Leaves 3-10mm wide, flat, rough at the margins and usually with a few long hairs towards the base; long-tapered to a fine point. Leaf sheaths rounded. Ligule a ring of stiff hairs. Flower spikes rather variable, but typically well-branched, narrow and wand-like, at first stiff and straight, later arching, up to 65cm in length. Spikelets 3-7.5mm, 1-4 flowered. Glumes shorter than the lemmas and typically purple-tinged. Lemmas 3-6mm, firm and smooth. A distinctive, late-flowering grass, forming dense tussocks of tough leaves topped with long, wand-like flower spikes, all of which persist well into winter as brightly straw-coloured clumps.
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Strong-scented Love-grass Eragrostis cilianensis
(Stink-grass) Native in the Mediterranean Region, southwards and eastwards to sub-Saharan Africa, China and south-east Asia. Annual plants, up to 75cm in height, typically solitary or in small tufts, the stems often with sunken glands at the nodes. Leaf blades 5-8mm wide, hairless but rough on both surfaces and with raised glands along the margins. Ligule membranous, 1-2mm long and with a fringe of hairs at the margin. Flower spike up to 20cm long, well-branched and rather open. Spikelets 2-4mm wide with 6-40 florets. Glumes 1.5-2mm long, keeled, with glands on the keels. Lemmas 2-2.8mm long, keeled, unawned. The glands on the plant produce a distinctive, rather pungent smell, which give the plant its English name(s).
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Small Love-grass Eragrostis minor
Native in the Mediterranean Region, southwards and eastwards to sub-Saharan Africa, China and south-east Asia. Annual plants, up to 60cm in height, but typically much shorter and forming loose tufts. Leaf blades 2-5mm wide, smooth or with a few hairs and with raised glands along the margins. Leaf sheaths variable but often with a good scattering of hairs. Ligule minute, reduced to a slightly raised rim. Flower spike 4-20cm long, well-branched and open. Spikelets 3-9mm wide with 6-10 (or more) florets. Glumes 1-1.7mm long, keeled, with glands on the keels. Lemmas 1.2-2mm long, keeled, unawned.
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Indian Love-grass Eragrostis pilosa
Native throughout most of the Old World and widely introduced eslewhere. Annual plants, up to 70cm in height but often much less, typically solitary or in small tufts; stems smooth and hairless. Leaf blades 1-3.5mm wide, hairless but rough on the upperside and along the margins. Ligule reduced to a minuscule rim. Flower spike up to 25cm long, but typically much shorter, well-branched and rather open. Spikelets 3-7mm wide with 4-14 florets. Glumes 0.5-1.5mm long, keeled. Lemmas 1.2-1.5mm long, keeled, unawned.
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