Melica nitens explained

Melica nitens is a species of grass known by the common names threeflower melicgrass or three-flowered melic. It is native to the central United States.[1] [2]

Description

This perennial grass has short rhizomes and sometimes forms bunches. The stems grow up to 1.3 meters tall. The inflorescence is a branching panicle of spikelets. The spikelets normally have three perfect flowers in one sided panicles.[3] Despite its name, the grass may also have spikelets with two or four flowers each,[1] often two.[4] The rachilla is longer than the fertile florets, and terminates in a club.[3] The sterile florets are two empty lemmas.[3]

Habitat

In the wild this plant grows in wooded areas, grasslands, streambanks, and roadsides.[4] In some areas it is considered "highly threatened by land-use conversion and habitat fragmentation, and to a lesser extent by forest management practices."[2] In other areas it is cultivated and sown as a forage grass.[4] In the US state of Minnesota, where it reaches its most northerly range in the extreme south eastern part of the state, it is listed as a threatened species; it was historically found in sandy soiled woodlands and prairie.[3] In Wisconsin it is listed as a Special Concern plant, and is found on steep slopes or rocky embankments around the states southern floodplains, mesic forests, and dry prairies.[5]

Notes and References

  1. http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/info2.asp?name=Melica_nitens&type=treatment Melica nitens.
  2. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Melica+nitens Melica nitens.
  3. Book: Barbara Coffin. Lee Pfannmuller. Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna. 1988. U of Minnesota Press. 978-0-8166-1689-3. 113.
  4. http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_meni.pdf Melica nitens.
  5. Web site: Three-flowered Melic Grass (Melica nitens) - Wisconsin DNR. 2021-12-30. dnr.wi.gov.