Melica spectabilis Scribn.
purple oniongrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
purple oniongrass
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Species Information
General:
Perennial grass from rhizomes, bulbous-based, the bulbs spaced at intervals of 1-3 cm along the rhizomes, remaining attached; stems erect, 30-80 (110) cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths usually open for 3-10 mm, but occasionally completely closed, minutely rough; blades smooth (or minutely rough-) to crisp-hairy, 2-4 (5) mm wide, flat to slightly in-rolled; ligules collar-like but generally open in front, usually irregular-jagged, blunt to rounded, smooth, 1-3 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow panicle 7-15 (22) cm long, the branches slender, erect; spikelets loosely 3- to 8-flowered, somewhat compressed, 9-15 mm long; glumes less than 1/2 the length of the spikelets, the lower ones about 5 mm long, prominently 3-nerved, but with lateral nerves shorter, obscure, the upper glumes 6-7 mm long, 5 (7)-nerved; lemmas smooth, strongly 7- to 11-nerved, blunt, about (6) 7 (8) mm long, unawned; anthers 2-2.5 mm long. vol7_6
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:
Purple
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Purple
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Melica spectabilis
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) |
1557 | 900 | 2007 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
29 | 0 | 82 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
184 | 86 | 320 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 3 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
24 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(6), ESSF(7), ICH(1), IMA(1), MS(6), SBPS(2), SBS(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to dry meadows and open forests in the montane and subalpine zones; rare in WC and S BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; E to SW AB and S to CO, UT, NV and N CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Bromelica spectabilis (Scribn.) W.A. Weber
Melica bulbosa var. spectabilis (Scribn.) B. Boivin