Pleuropogon refractus
Encyclopedia
Pleuropogon refractus is a species of grass
known by the common name nodding semaphoregrass. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia
to northern California
, where it grows in moist meadows, marsh
y areas, and shady forests.
bears widely spaced cylindrical spikelets which hang sideways off the stem, resembling semaphore signals
. Each spikelet may be up to 2.5 centimeters long and may contain up to 14 flowers. As the spikelets develop the stem may bend over or nod, such that the spikelets point downward.
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 nodding semaphoregrass. It is native to the west coast of 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 northern 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...
, where it grows in moist meadows, marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y areas, and shady forests.
Description
Pleuropogon refractus is a perennial bunchgrass growing to a maximum height around 1.5 meters. The inflorescenceInflorescence
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...
bears widely spaced cylindrical spikelets which hang sideways off the stem, resembling semaphore signals
Flag semaphore
Semaphore Flags is the system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position...
. Each spikelet may be up to 2.5 centimeters long and may contain up to 14 flowers. As the spikelets develop the stem may bend over or nod, such that the spikelets point downward.