Melica subulata

(Redirected from Alaskan oniongrass)

Melica subulata is a species of grass known by the common name Alaska oniongrass.

Melica subulata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Melica
Species:
M. subulata
Binomial name
Melica subulata
Synonyms[1]
  • Bromelica subulata (Griseb.) Farw.
  • Bromus subulatus Griseb.
  • Festuca acerosa A.Gray
  • Melica acuminata Bol.
  • Melica pammelii Scribn.
  • Melica pooides var. acuminata (Bol.) Scribn.
  • Melica subulata var. pammelii (Scribn.) C.L.Hitchc.

Distribution

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It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist habitat, often in forests.

Melica subulata is a main understory member of the Douglas-fir/Alaska oniongrass plant community, a rare plant association that occurs on the southern edge of Vancouver Island on the Strait of Georgia.[2] This plant community once had a wider range, occurring also along the Puget Sound and in the Willamette Valley.[2]

Description

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Melica subulata is a rhizomatous perennial grass with clustered onionlike corms at the base of each stem. It grows to a maximum height near 1.3 meters. The inflorescence is a narrow or spreading panicle of cylindrical, pointed spikelets which may be nearly 3 centimeters long.

References

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  1. ^ "Melica subulata (Griseb.) Scribn". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Douglas-Fir/Alaska Oniongrass Plant Community Information Sheet.
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