Melica bulbosa
Encyclopedia
Melica bulbosa is a species of grass
known by the common name oniongrass. The common name comes from the onionlike appearance of the corm
at its root; it is not related to the onions
. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to the Rocky Mountains
to California
. It may or may not occur as far east as Texas
.
Its habitat includes mountain forest and woods, open hillsides, and streambanks.
This is a rhizomatous
perennial grass with a cluster of white corms at the base of the stem. The plant forms a loose cluster of stems up to a meter tall. The inflorescence
is a narrow or spreading series of series of bullet-shaped spikelets. The spikelet is banded in purple and green.
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 oniongrass. The common name comes from the onionlike appearance of the corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
at its root; it is not related to the onions
Allium
Allium is a monocot genus of flowering plants, informally referred to as the onion genus. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic....
. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It may or may not occur as far east as Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Its habitat includes mountain forest and woods, open hillsides, and streambanks.
This is a rhizomatous
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...
perennial grass with a cluster of white corms at the base of the stem. The plant forms a loose cluster of stems up to a meter tall. 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 narrow or spreading series of series of bullet-shaped spikelets. The spikelet is banded in purple and green.