Pleuraphis rigida
Encyclopedia
Pleuraphis rigida is a species of grass
known by the common name big galleta.
, scrub, woodland, grassland
, and plateau habitat. It is tolerant of arid environments such as desert
floors, and it is the dominant grass in some desert scrub regions.
habitat. The stems have nodes which are lined with long, sometimes curly hairs. The inflorescence
is a series of hairy or brushlike rectangular spikelets. The grass produces relatively little viable seed and spreads mostly via its tillers
and sometimes via rhizome
.
This grass acts as a nurse plant
to seedlings of other species, such as cholla
and barrel cactus
, in turn receiving protection from herbivory by growing next to the spiny plants.
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 name big galleta.
Distribution
Pleuraphis rigida is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it is widespread in chaparralChaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, scrub, woodland, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, and plateau habitat. It is tolerant of arid environments such as desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
floors, and it is the dominant grass in some desert scrub regions.
Description
Pleuraphis rigida is a bushy, clumping perennial grass producing coarse, erect stems reaching a meter in maximum height. The clumpy form of the grass helps it stabilize loose and blowing sand when it grows in desert duneDune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
habitat. The stems have nodes which are lined with long, sometimes curly hairs. The 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 series of hairy or brushlike rectangular spikelets. The grass produces relatively little viable seed and spreads mostly via its tillers
Tiller (botany)
A tiller is a stem produced by grass plants, and refers to all shoots that grow after the initial parent shoot grows from a seed. Tillers are segmented, each segment possessing its own two-part leaf...
and sometimes via rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
.
This grass acts as a nurse plant
Ecological facilitation
Facilitation describes species interactions that benefit at least one of the participants and cause harm to neither. Facilitations can be categorized as mutualisms, in which both species benefit, or commensalisms, in which one species benefits and the other is unaffected...
to seedlings of other species, such as cholla
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
and barrel cactus
Ferocactus
Ferocactus is a genus of large barrel-shaped cacti, mostly with large spines and small flowers. There are about 30 species included in the genus. They are found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The young specimens are columnar but as they grow older ribs form and they take...
, in turn receiving protection from herbivory by growing next to the spiny plants.