Danthonia intermedia
Encyclopedia
Danthonia intermedia is a species of grass
known by the common names timber oatgrass and intermediate oatgrass. This clumping erect perennial grass is native to North America, where it is widespread across most of Canada and along the western United States into California
. It is a plant of the plains as well as forested, mountainous, alpine environments.
The bunchgrass reaches about half a meter in height at maximum. Its leaves are short and mostly basal. Each inflorescence
is a narrow cluster of up to about ten spikelets
, each spikelet holding 3 to 6 florets. The flowers are cleistogamous
, meaning they remain closed and pollinate themselves. This grass also sometimes undergoes apomixis
, reproduction without fertilization. This independence of the need for pollination between individuals is one reason why this grass is so widespread and able to tolerate a variety of climates.
This is a desirable grass for grazing land because it begins growing earlier in the spring than most other grasses, and it tolerates heavy grazing better than some other grasses because of its basal meristem
, that is, new growth occurs low on the grass instead of on the tip where it can be chewed off. This grass is an indicator of ecological climax
in many ecosystems.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common names timber oatgrass and intermediate oatgrass. This clumping erect perennial grass is native to North America, where it is widespread across most of Canada and along the western United States into California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is a plant of the plains as well as forested, mountainous, alpine environments.
The bunchgrass reaches about half a meter in height at maximum. Its leaves are short and mostly basal. Each inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a narrow cluster of up to about ten spikelets
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
, each spikelet holding 3 to 6 florets. The flowers are cleistogamous
Cleistogamy
Cleistogamy or automatic self-pollination describes the trait of certain plants to propagate by using non-opening, self-pollinating flowers...
, meaning they remain closed and pollinate themselves. This grass also sometimes undergoes apomixis
Apomixis
In botany, apomixis was defined by Winkler as replacement of the normal sexual reproduction by asexual reproduction, without fertilization. This definition notably does not mention meiosis...
, reproduction without fertilization. This independence of the need for pollination between individuals is one reason why this grass is so widespread and able to tolerate a variety of climates.
This is a desirable grass for grazing land because it begins growing earlier in the spring than most other grasses, and it tolerates heavy grazing better than some other grasses because of its basal meristem
Meristem
A meristem is the tissue in most plants consisting of undifferentiated cells , found in zones of the plant where growth can take place....
, that is, new growth occurs low on the grass instead of on the tip where it can be chewed off. This grass is an indicator of ecological climax
Climax vegetation
Climax vegetation is the vegetation which establishes itself on a given site for given climatic conditions in the absence of anthropic action after a long time ....
in many ecosystems.