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

Melica bulbosa Geyer ex Porter & J.M. Coult.
Western Onion Grass (oniongrass)
Poaceae (Grass family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Distribution of Melica bulbosa
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial, strongly tufted grass from short, thick rhizomes, bulbous-based, the bulbs closely clustered on the rhizomes and not readily separable, not remaining attached; stems erect, 30-100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths usually closed almost their full length, minutely rough to strongly crisp- or spreading-hairy; blades minutely rough- to crisp-hairy, 2-4 (5) mm wide, flat to somewhat in-rolled; ligules usually open in front, jagged, smooth or rarely minutely rough-hairy, (2) 3-4 (6) mm long.

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

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry meadows, grassy slopes or shrublands in the steppe to subalpine zones; rare in S BC in and east of the Coast-Cascade mountains; disjunct E to SK and S to TX, CO, UT, NV and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Melica bulbosa

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) 630 1130 1504
Slope Gradient (%) 0 25 60
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		60 199 260
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		2 3 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 8
Modal BEC Zone Class
 IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ICH(2), IDF(3), MS(3)

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

Melica bulbosa var. bulbosa Geyer ex Porter & Coult.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links


Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-09 9:25:33 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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