Achnatherum parishii subsp. parishii

Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Culms 20-80 cm tall, 1.5-2 mm thick, mostly glabrous, pubescent below the nodes. Basal sheath margins hairy distaily. hairs 1-3.2 mm; blades 11-30+ cm long, 2.5-4.2 mm wide, usually flat or only partly closed, sometimes completely convolute, straight to somewhat arcuate distaily. Panicles 11-15 cm long, 2-4 cm wide. Florets 5.5-6.5 mm; awns 15-35 mm; paleas sparsely hairy between the veins, hairs about 1/2 as long as the lemma hairs, apices usually rounded, occasionally somewhat pinched; anthers 3.5-4.5 mm, glabrous. Caryopses 5-6 mm, fusiform. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Achnatherum parishii subsp. parishii grows on dry, rocky slopes, in desert shrub and pinyon-juniper associations, from the coastal ranges of California to northeastern Nevada, eastern Utah, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Its range extends into Baja California, Mexico. It differs from A. coronatum in its shorter culms and once-geniculate awns, and from subsp. depauperatum in its longer culms, hairy sheath margins, and sparsely hairy paleas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.