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• Poaceae
• Poaceae Group 3
• Corynephorus
• Corynephorus canescens

Corynephorus canescens — gray club-awn grass

Facts

Gray club-awn grass is of European origin, and is introduced in North America, probably due to being cultivated as a small, clumping ornamental. Escapes have spread fairly recently in portions of northeastern and northwestern North America. As yet it is a rare visitor to New England, colonizing sites in Massachusetts with sandy and disturbed soil.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther length

  1.4–1.6 mm

  Anther number

  3

  Awn on glume

  the glume has no awn

  Floret lower bract texture

  the lemma is thin and flexible

  Glume relative length

  both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets

  Glume veins

  • 1
  • 3

  Inflorescence axis orientation

  the inflorescence axis is straight

  Inflorescence branches

  the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence

  Inflorescence length

  15–140 mm

  Inflorescence type (general)

  the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches

  Inflorescence type (specific)

  the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes

  Inforescence position

  the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem

  Lemma awn base

  the awn is attached at the lower half of the lemma (it emerges from near the base of the lemma)

  Lemma awn length

  2.3–2.7 mm

  Lemma awn number

  the lemma has one awn on it

  Lemma cross-section

  the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint

  Lemma surface

  the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)

  Lemma tip

  the lemma tip is split into two or more points

  Lemma vein number

  1

  One or more florets

  there is more than one floret per spikelet

  Palea relative length

  palea is one half to fully as long as lemma

  Spikelet axis tip

  there is an extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet

  Spikelet length

  2.9–4.3 mm

  Spikelets spiny

  the spikelets do not appear spiny

• Leaves

  Leaf auricles

  the leaves do not have auricles

  Leaf blade width

  0.3–1 mm

  Leaf ligule length

  2–4 mm

  Leaf ligule type

  the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane

  Leaf sheath closed around stem

  the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)

  Leaf sheath hair type

  there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath hairs

  there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  Massachusetts

  Specific habitat

  • man-made or disturbed habitats
  • meadows or fields

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Stem spacing

  the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae