keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

1066 POACEAE/SPHENOPHOLIS
Non-rhizomatous perennial usually 0.6–1(–2) m tall; ligule 1–2 mm long; inflorescence
branches usually 15–75, tightly appressed; spikelets 5–8(–10) mm long, awnless or with inconspicuous
awns. Marshes, wet prairies, coastal flats; Harris, Jefferson (BRIT), Brazos, and Gonzales
(Turner et al. 2003) cos.; mainly Gulf Prairies and Marshes, known from a few locations further
w; AL, FL, LA, MS, and TX. Spring–summer. [Vilfa spartinae Trin.] Near the coast this
species can be a vegetational dominant, sometimes excluding other species. Extensive
meadows (thousands of hectares) of GULF CORD GRASS occur in coastal salt flats and inundated
areas slightly inland (Gould 1975a; Hatch et al. 1999). According to Correll and Johnston (1970),
“The young shoots emerging after fires are good forage but the older shoots are much too tough
even for horses. Formerly vast acreages of sacahuista were therefore burned over purposely in
the ranches of southern Texas; the practice is less common now.”
SPHENOPHOLIS Scribn. WEDGE GRASS, WEDGESCALE
Annuals or short-lived perennials without rhizomes; ligule membranous, uneven apically; inflorescence
a dense to open panicle; spikelets with (1–)2–3 florets, the third (uppermost) sometimes
reduced and sterile; disarticulation below glumes (distal floret sometimes disarticulating
beforehand); glumes conspicuously dimorphic, the upper (second) glume longer, wider, and
obovate, broadly acute to rounded apically; lemmas obtuse to acute, usually awnless or with a
minute awn (however, a species of the e U.S. has conspicuous awns); stamens 3.
AA C3 genus of 4–6 species (Tucker 1996; Daniel ined.) ranging from Canada to Mexico, with
the greatest diversity in the se U.S. The genus is thought to be closely related to Koeleria and
Trisetum (Tucker 1996). Jones et al. (1997) and Hatch (2002) treated Trisetum interruptum in
the genus Sphenopholis as S. interrupta (Buckley) Scribn. (Greek: sphen, a wedge, and pholis,
scale, referring to the shape of the broadly obovate or nearly cuneate upper glume) (subfamily
Pooideae, tribe Poeae)
REFERENCES: Lamson-Scribner 1906; Erdman 1965; Tucker 1996; Yatskievych 1999; Daniel ined.
1. Lower (= first) glume conspicuously narrow, � 1/3 as wide as upper glume; lemma of second
floret glabrous to scaberulous (primarily on keel, sometimes sparsely so on back); inflorescence
dense to open, often � spike-like.
2. Lower leaf blades relatively short and broad, usually less than 15(–20) cm long (often much
less), 2–8 mm wide, flat __________________________________________________________ S. obtusata
2. Lower leaf blades very long and narrow, usually 15–45 cm long, filiform, 0.3–2 mm wide, the
margins strongly involute ________________________________________________________ S. filiformis
1. Lower glume 1/3–2/3 as wide as upper glume; lemma of second floret strongly scabrous on
keel and on back (use strong hand lens or dissecting scope); inflorescence open, loosely-flowered,
not densely spike-like ___________________________________________________________ S. nitida
Sphenopholis filiformis (Chapm.) Scribn., (thread-like), LONG-LEAF WEDGESCALE. Perennial (20–)
35–75(–100) cm tall; culms tufted; ligule 0.5–1.2 mm long; lower leaf blades very long and narrow,
to 45 cm long, 0.3–2 mm wide, strongly involute; inflorescence narrow, ca. 1.5 cm or less
wide; spikelets 2.5–4 mm long, usually awnless; lemma of second floret glabrous or
scaberulous. Roadsides, meadows, pine and pine-hardwood forests, forest margins, and openings,
on sandy soils; Angelina, Jasper, Newton (BRIT), Shelby (TAES), Tyler (Erdman 1965), Hardin,
Polk, and Sabine (Turner et al. 2003) cos. in the s part of the Pineywoods; also n Gulf Prairies
and Marshes; se U.S. from VA s to FL w to OK and TX. Mar–May.
Sphenopholis nitida (Biehler) Scribn., (shining), SHINY WEDGESCALE, SHINING WEDGESCALE, SHIN-
ING WEDGE GRASS. Perennial (or apparently sometimes annual) 30–70(–80) cm tall; culms
tufted; ligule 1–2 mm long; leaf blades 15 cm or less long, 2–6 mm wide; inflorescence open (ca.
1–8 cm wide), not spike-like; spikelets 2.5–4 mm long, usually awnless; lower glume 0.2–0.5