E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Achnatherum nelsonii subsp. dorei (Scribn.) Barkworth (Barkworth & Maze) Barkworth
Columbia needlegrass (Dore's needlegrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants
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E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Achnatherum nelsonii subsp. dorei
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems 40-175 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open, smooth to densely hairy, the margins sometimes with a fringe of hairs; blades (0.5) 1.2-5 mm wide; lower ligules 0.2-0.7 mm long, thin and flexible, blunt to rounded, usually without hairs along the margins; upper ligules up to 1.5 mm long, pointed.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow panicle, 9-36 cm long, the branches straight, appressed to ascending, the spikelets appressed to the branches; florets not flattened; glumes 6-12.5 mm long, smooth; lemmas 6-7.5 mm long, smooth above, short-hairy below, the hairs 0.2-0.5 mm long, the tips minutely lobed, membranous, 0.1-0.4 mm long, awned, the awns 19-31 mm long, the first segments rough or short-hairy, persistent; paleas 2-4 mm long, 1/3-1/2 as long as the lemmas, the calluses 0.2-1 mm long, blunt, the smooth areas barely extending beyond the base of the callus hairs.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry rocky slopes and open forests from the lowland to subalpine zones; frequent in NE, WC, SC and SE BC; N to YT, E to SK and S to TX, NM, AZ and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Achnatherum nelsonii ssp. dorei

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 250 762 1810
Slope Gradient (%) 0 27 100
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
10 181 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
0 2 4
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
30
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(3), BWBS(4), ESSF(1), ICH(1), IDF(12), PP(9)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Achnatherum nelsonii var. dorei (Barkworth & Maze) Dorn
Stipa columbiana auct. non Macoun
Stipa minor (Vasey) Scribn.
Stipa nelsonii subsp. dorei Barkworth & Maze
Stipa nelsonii var. dorei (Barkworth & Maze) Dorn
Stipa occidentalis var. minor sensu C.L. Hitchc., non (Vasey) C.L. Hitchc.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References