Danthonia spicata (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.
poverty oatgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
poverty oatgrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems disarticulating at the nodes, (7) 10-70 (100) cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths soft-hairy to smooth; blades 0.8-3 (4) mm wide, 6-15 (20) cm long, smooth to soft- hairy, curled with age; ligules less than 1 mm long, fringed with short hairs.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow panicle with 5 to 10 (18) spikelets, the lower branches with 2 or 3 spikelets, these with stalks shorter than the spikelets; spikelets 7-15 mm long; lemmas (2.5) 3-4 (5) mm long, soft-hairy, or sometimes smooth over the back, the apical teeth pointed to stiff-awned, 0.5-2 mm long, also awned from the back, the awns abruptly bent, 5-8 mm long, the calluses about as long as wide, with stiff hairs laterally; anthers to 2.5 mm long.
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
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Danthonia spicata
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) |
768 | 30 | 2500 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
27 | 0 | 100 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
191 | 5 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
185 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ICH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(2), CDF(3), CWH(42), ESSF(18), ICH(55), IDF(35), MS(7), PP(2), SBPS(4), SWB(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry shorelines, open forests and meadows in the lowland and montane zones; frequent throughout BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, MA, PA, SC, FL, MS, LA, TX, NM, ID and OR; Greenland.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Danthonia pinetorum
Danthonia sericea Nutt.
Danthonia spicata var. longipila Scribn. & Merr.
Danthonia spicata var. pinetorum Piper
Danthonia thermale
Danthonia thermalis Scribn.