Species Detail Grasses

Herbarium specimen - Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Urochloa arizonica - Arizona signalgrass Synonyms: Brachiaria arizonica, Panicum arizonicum Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae


Home	Plant Communities	Plant List	Search Forbs and Subshrubs	Search Grasses	Search Woody Plants	Additional Resources	About this Website

Click on Any Image for a Larger View
Blades w/hairs Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)	Spikelets Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)	Seedhead Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Native Season: Warm Habitat Description: Found on open rocky slopes, in sandy washes and canyon bottoms. Plant Communities:Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland Elevation: 1000 - 5500 feet General Description Desc: Annual grass that is much-branched at the base. Stems branch from the lower nodes and are 4 to 24 inches long. Stems may be erect or sprawl along the ground with ascending tips. Identification Notes: Tufted annual grass up to 2 feet; stems bent at base, nodes swollen, sometimes rooting; seedheads spikelike, spikelets in 2 rows; awnless spikelets are 2-flowered, 1 sessile and sterile, 1 stemmed and fertile; glumes noticeably unequal. Grass Type: Annual Rhizomes: N Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N Bushy (highly branched): Y Height with Seedheads: 12 to 24 inches Seedhead Structure: Branched - contracted Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: Jun - Oct Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Absent Three Awns: N Awns Bent: N Flower and Seedhead Notes: Seedhead is 2-3/4 to 8 inches tall with appressed or erect-spreading hairs. Spikelet stalks are paired and appressed; spikelets are 2-flowered, the first floret is sterile and the second floret is fertile. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: Y Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Flat Blade Notes: Blades are flat, 2 to 6 inches long and up to 1/2 inch wide. Leaves may be smooth or rough and are hairy on the margins near the base. Sheath Hairy: Y Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: Y Ligules: Membranous and hairy Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N Forage Value: Not available.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer