''Alopecurus aequalis'' is a common species of
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
known as shortawn foxtail or orange foxtail.
It is native to much of the temperate Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. It is most commonly found in areas near fresh water, such as the margins of ponds and ditches.
Description
This perennial
bunchgrass
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...
is variable in appearance. It produces bunches of erect stems between 20 and about 70 centimeters in height.
The leaves are 2-15 cm long; the basal leaves are the longest and the few stem leaves are long-sheathing.
The cylindrical
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a few centimeters long and blooms with white to yellow to bright orange
anthers
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
about 0.5-0.8 mm long.
The leaf blades are narrow, about 1-8 mm wide. The flowers are attached to branches, rather than the main axis of the inflorescence.
Ecology
''A. aequalis'' has a
C3 metabolism, grows best in full to partial sun, and can tolerate shallow standing water for up to two months during the growing season.
One variety of this species,
var. ''sonomensis'', is a rare
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
grass which is federally listed as an
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
of the United States.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileGrass Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery