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- True grasses
- Leersia oryzoides
Leersia oryzoides — rice cut grass
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Facts
Rice cut grass has rough leaf sheathes and blade edges that are sharp enough to cut bare skin. It is found on shorelines, in swamps and ditches, and other low, wet areas throughout New England.
Habitat
Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 5–15 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 4–6.5 mm
- Glume relative length
- NA
- Awn on glume
- NA
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- 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 ligule length
- 0.5–1 mm
- Anther length
- 1.5–3 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 1.5–3 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- NA
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret number
- 1
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume keel
- NA
- Glume relative length
- NA
- Glume shape
- NA
- Glume veins
- NA
- Glumes per spikelet
- 0
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branch length
- 4–10 cm
- Inflorescence branch roughness
- the inflorescence branches are smooth or only slightly rough
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence branches coming off the lowest stem node
- 2–4
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very spread out, with clearly-evident branches
- Inflorescence length
- 100–300 mm
- Inflorescence length to width ratio
- 1.4–2.5
- 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
- Inflorescence width
- 70–120 mm
- Inforescence position
-
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- the spikelets are mainly found at the nodes, in the axils of leaves, along the stem
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn coiled
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma awn orientation
- NA
- Lemma base hair length
- 0 mm
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma is hairless or feels just a tiny bit rough at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
-
- the lemma has fine hairs between the veins
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma keel hairs
- the keel of the lemma is rough, or has fine hairs
- Lemma marginal vein hairs
- the marginal vein of the lemma has fine hairs on it
- 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
- Lower glume length
- 0 mm
- Lower glume relative length
- NA
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea length
- 4.2–5 mm
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Spikelet axis length
- 0 mm
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- NA
- Spikelet length
- 4–6.5 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 0
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets have pedicels
- Spikelet position
- the spikelets emerge mainly from the upper halves of the inflorescence branches
- Spikelet shape
- the spikelets are elliptic (widest in the middle, tapering to the ends) in profile
- Spikelet width
- 1.3–1.7 mm
- Spikelets per panicle branch
- 3–8
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
- NA
- Upper glume length
- 0 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- NA
- Upper glume shape
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed length
- 2–3.5 mm
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizomes
- yes
- Roots
- the plant has rhizomes (horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has few or no leaves coming from the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf basal lobe hairy
- NA
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- Leaf blade length
- 15–30 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 5–15 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.5–1 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- 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 no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of wetlands
- in lakes or ponds
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
- swamps
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes have hairs that stand out at a shallow angle, or they curve downwards
- Plant height
- 35–150 cm
- Roots at lower stem nodes
- yes
- Stem hairs
- the stem has hairs on it
- Stem orientation
- the stems trail at the base, but turn upwards at the tips
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
- Stem thickness at base
- 1–3 mm
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Leersia oryzoides (L.) Sw. N
rice cut grass. Homalocenchrus oryzoides (L.) Pollich; Phalaris oryzoides L. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Shorelines, low areas in fields, open swamps, ditches, pools, beaver flowages.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Leersia virginica:
- panicle with one branch per node and spikelets 2.9-4.1 mm long (vs. L. oryzoides, with a panicle with 2 branches at some nodes and spikelets 4-7.5 mm long).
Synonyms
- Homalocenchrus oryzoides (L.) Pollich
- Phalaris oryzoides L.