Silver Hairgrass

This pioneer of dry, open places is now widespread in temperate regions.

Culms solitary or tufted, erect or slightly geniculate, very slender, 5–30 cm tall, scabrid. Leaf sheaths scaberulous; leaf blades narrowly linear to filiform, 1–5 cm, 2–3 mm wide; ligule lanceolate, 1–4 mm, acute becoming lacerate. Panicle open, ovate in outline, up to 10 cm; branches 2–5 cm, capillary, scabrid, bearing spikelets in clusters toward tips; pedicels 2–4 mm, up to twice spikelet length, a pear-shaped swelling below spike-let. Spikelets ovate-oblong in outline, 2–3.5 mm, shining, silvery-gray or tinged purplish; glumes as long as spikelet, keel scaberulous; florets both awned; lemmas brown, 3/4 length of glumes, scabrid, narrowed to 2-toothed apex; awn 2.5–4 mm, arising from lower 1/3 of lemma. Anthers 0.3–0.6 mm.

W Xizang [India, Russia; N Africa, SW Asia, Europe; introduced in North and South America and Australia].

Dry grassy places in mountains; ca. 3600 m.