Corynephorus canescens — gray club-awn grass
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Facts
Gray club-awn grass is of European origin, and is introduced in North America, probably due to being cultivated as a small, clumping ornamental. Escapes have spread fairly recently in portions of northeastern and northwestern North America. As yet it is a rare visitor to New England, colonizing sites in Massachusetts with sandy and disturbed soil.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Leaf blade width
- 0.3–1 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 2.9–4.3 mm
- Glume relative length
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 2.3–2.7 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 2–4 mm
- Anther length
- 1.4–1.6 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 1.4–1.6 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Glume relative length
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence length
- 15–140 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
- the awn is attached at the lower half of the lemma (it emerges from near the base of the lemma)
- Lemma awn length
- 2.3–2.7 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is split into two or more points
- Lemma vein number
- 1
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is an extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 2.9–4.3 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 0.3–1 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 2–4 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Corynephorus canescens (L.) Beauv. E
gray club-awn grass. Aira canescens L. • CT, MA. Sandy soil of fields, roadsides, and clearings.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Trisetum spicatum:
- leaf blades 1-5 mm wide and lemma awns comprised not comprised of two distinct parts and without a ring of cilia near the middle of the awn (vs. C. canescens, with leaf blades up to 1 mm wide and lemma awn comprised of two distinct and dissimilar parts with a ring of cilia near the middle at the articulation point).
Synonyms
- Aira canescens L.