Polypogon monspeliensis (L.) Desf.
rabbitfoot polypogon (annual rabbitsfoot grass)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
rabbitfoot polypogon (annual rabbitsfoot grass)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Annual, tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems often decumbent and freely rooting below (especially in standing water), 50-70 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open; blades usually flat, rough, (1) 4-7 (12) mm wide; ligules strongly short rough-hairy externally, (2) 3-10 (12) mm long, narrowed to blunt or squared-off, irregularly jagged.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a dense, spikelike panicle, (1) 2-15 cm long; glumes rough, tawny in age, 2-3.5 mm long, awned from between very short rounded lobes, the awns 6-10 mm long; lemmas 1, smooth and shining, about half as long as the glumes, minutely toothed at the rounded tips, awned, the awns slender, exceeding the glumes by as much as 1.5 mm; paleas nearly equal to the lemmas; lodicules lanceolate, about 0.2 mm long; anthers about 0.5 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
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 Polypogon monspeliensis
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) |
514 | 440 | 663 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
1 | 0 | 3 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
90 | 90 | 90 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 5 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
F | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
PP | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
PP(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to dry waste areas, ditches and vernal pools in the lowland zone; infrequent in S BC; introduced from Europe.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Alopecurus monspeliensis L.