Hesperostipa spartea (Trin.) Barkworth
porcupinegrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
porcupinegrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems 45-140 cm tall, the lower nodes usually crossed by lines of hairs, occasionally smooth.
Leaves:
Lower sheaths with a fringe of hairs along the margins; blades flat to inrolled, 1.5-4.5 mm wide; lower ligules 0.3-3 mm long, stiff, blunt to rounded, fringed not toothed or ragged along the margins; upper ligules 3-7.5 mm long, pointed, thin and often ragged along the margins.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a panicle, 10-25 cm long, the branches ascending to erect; glumes unequal, slender, pointed, 22-45 mm long; lemmas 15-25 mm long, mostly smooth but the base and margins with brown hairs, awned, the awns bent, 90-180 mm long, the tip segments rough and straight; calluses 3.5-6 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
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Hesperostipa spartea
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) |
885 | 449 | 2012 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
31 | 0 | 68 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
196 | 100 | 285 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 1 | 5 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
22 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(3), ICH(1), IDF(7), MS(1), SBS(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to mesic grassy slopes and open forests in the steppe and montane zones; rare in SC BC; E to ON and S to PA, OH, IN, MO, OK and NM.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Stipa spartea Trin.
Stipa spartea var. spartea