Species Detail Grasses

Herbarium specimen - Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC)		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Pleuraphis rigida - big galleta Synonyms: Hilaria rigida Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae


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Herbarium specimen Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC)	Spikelets Liz Makings @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Native Season: Cool and Warm Habitat Description: Found in deserts, grasslands, pinyon juniper and rocky hills. Plant Communities:Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland Elevation: Below 4000 feet General Description Desc: Coarse tufted perennial grass up to 3 feet tall with a hard rhizomatous base. Stems trailing, spreading and branching at the base, becoming erect or ascending. Often appears as tufts or small clumps of stems from the rhizomes. Identification Notes: Rhizomatous perennial with stout woody, wooly stems and rigid seedhead spikes. P. rigida is easily distinguished from other Pleuraphis spp. in the region by its felty-pubescent lower stems and sheaths. Grass Type: Perennial bunchgrass Rhizomes: Y Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N Bushy (highly branched): Y Height with Seedheads: 24 to 36 inches Seedhead Structure: Unbranched Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: Feb - Sep Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Less than 1/4 inch Three Awns: N Awns Bent: N Flower and Seedhead Notes: Seedhead is a rigid spike with groups of 3 directly attached awned spikelets. The 3 spikelets fall as a unit and leave a characteristic zig-zag naked seed stalk. Each spikelet has 2 to 4 florets; upper florets are sterile, lower florets are fertile. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: Y Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Flat or involute Blade Notes: Leaf blades are 3/4 to 4 inches long, less than 1/5 inch wide, flat at the base and involute above, with the tip tapering to a rigid point. Leaves are generally sparsely to densely covered with downy hairs, especially near the ligule. Sheath Hairy: Y Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: Y Ligules: Hairy Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N Forage Value: Fair to poor; if like other grasses in this genus it is very tough and wiry when mature.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer