Achnatherum nelsonii subsp. dorei (Scribn.) Barkworth (Barkworth & Maze) Barkworth
Columbia needlegrass (Dore's needlegrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Columbia needlegrass (Dore's needlegrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Achnatherum nelsonii subsp. dorei
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
Species Information
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.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration 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
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
762 | 250 | 1810 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
27 | 0 | 100 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
181 | 10 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 4 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
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) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and 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.Synonyms
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.