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• Dichotomous Key
• Poaceae
• Poaceae Group 3
• Graphephorum
• Graphephorum melicoides

Graphephorum melicoides — graphephorum

Facts

Graphephorum is a rare grass from ice-scoured river shores, river shore rock ledges, and cliffs, usually on calcarious rock or soils. It is currently or historically known from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Habitat

Cliffs, balds, or ledges, ridges or ledges, shores of rivers or lakes

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther length

  0.6–0.8 mm

  Anther number

  Up to 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
  • neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets

  Inflorescence arrangement

  the spikelets are uniform

  Inflorescence axis orientation

  • the inflorescence axis bends downwards or hangs
  • the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward

  Inflorescence branches

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

  Inflorescence length

  80–200 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 upper half of the lemma

  Lemma awn length

  0–2 mm

  Lemma awn number

  • the lemma has no awn
  • the lemma has one awn on it

  Lemma base hair length

  1.5–2 mm

  Lemma base hairs

  the lemma has hairs at the base

  Lemma cross-section

  the lemma is V-shaped 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 a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)

  Lemma vein number

  5

  One or more florets

  there is more than one floret per spikelet

  Spikelet axis tip

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

  Spikelet length

  5–9 mm

  Spikelets spiny

  the spikelets do not appear spiny

  Upper glume shape

  the upper glume is widest at or below the middle

• Leaves

  Leaf auricles

  the leaves do not have auricles

  Leaf blade width

  2–9 mm

  Leaf ligule length

  1.5–3.5 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 hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
  • there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath hairs

  • there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
  • there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  • Maine
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • cliffs, balds, or ledges
  • ridges or ledges
  • shores of rivers or lakes

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Stem spacing

  the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts

Wetland status

Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae