Achnatherum occidentale (Thurb.) Barkworth
Western Needle Grass (stiff needlegrass; Velvet-leaf; western needlegrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Western Needle Grass (stiff needlegrass; Velvet-leaf; western needlegrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Achnatherum occidentale ssp. pubescens
Species Information
General:
Perennial tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems 30-120 cm tall, the nodes and internodes smooth to densely hairy.
Leaves:
Lower sheaths smooth to hairy, often fringed at the throats, brown to grey when old; blades to 3 mm wide, usually straight and upright; lower ligules 0.2-1.5 mm long, often fringed along the margins; upper ligules 0.3-1 (1.5) mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow panicle 8-30 cm long; glumes almost equal, 9-15 mm long, green, smooth; lemmas 6-7.5 mm long, hairy, the hairs 0.2-0.5 mm long, hairs at the tips similar in length to those at the base of the awns, the awns 15-40 mm long, twice bent, the first 2 segments with short hairs to long, soft, straight hairs, some of the hairs 0.5-1 mm long; paleas 2/5-3/5 as long as the lemmas, the calluses 0.8-1.2 mm long, sharp.
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Achnatherum occidentale
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) |
942 | 280 | 2101 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
21 | 0 | 230 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
199 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
590 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(3), BG(50), BWBS(3), ESSF(27), ICH(13), IDF(284), MS(43), PP(92), SBPS(1), SBS(33) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry rocky slopes and open forests in the steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SC and SE BC; S to WY, AZ, and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Stipa occidentalis