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- True grasses
- Deschampsia flexuosa
Deschampsia flexuosa — wavy hair grass
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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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Facts
Wavy hair grass inhabits thin, sandy soils of mountains, woodlands and sand plains and sometimes forms large stands on mid-elevation, forested peaks. Plants from high-elevation peaks are somewhat different in form. This species is sometimes grown as a garden ornamental.
Habitat
Alpine or subalpine zones, cliffs, balds, or ledges, forests, grassland, mountain summits and plateaus, ridges or ledges, woodlands
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 0.3–2 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 4–7 mm
- Glume relative length
-
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- 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
- 3.7–7 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 1–2.5 mm
- Anther length
- 2–3 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 2–3 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret number
- 2
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume relative length
-
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is V-shaped in cross-section
- Glume veins
- 1
- Glumes per spikelet
- 2
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis bends downwards or hangs
- Inflorescence branch roughness
- the inflorescence branches are smooth or only slightly rough
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence branches coming off the lowest stem node
- 2–5
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very spread out, with clearly-evident branches
- Inflorescence length
- 50–150 mm
- Inflorescence length to width ratio
- 1.3–2.5
- 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
- Inflorescence width
- 20–120 mm
- 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 coiled
- the lemma awn is straight or twisted, but not coiled one half turn
- Lemma awn length
- 3.7–7 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma awn orientation
- the awn of the lemma on dried or older plants is curved or bent outwards
- Lemma base hair length
- Up to 1 mm
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma has hairs at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
-
- the lemma has fine hairs between the veins
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma keel hairs
- the keel of the lemma is rough, or has fine hairs
- Lemma marginal vein hairs
- the marginal vein of the lemma is hairless
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
-
- the lemma tip has a ragged edge
- the lemma tip is split into two or more points
- Lemma tip shape
- the lemma tip tapers to a narrow point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
- Lemma vein number
- 5
- Lemma vein orientation
- the veins on the lemma stay roughly parallel throughout
- Lower glume length
- 2.7–4.5 mm
- Lower glume relative length
- the lower glume is nearly as long, or as long as, the upper glume
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea length
- 3.8–5 mm
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is an extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- the spikelet breaks off above the glumes, so that after the florets fall off, the glumes remain
- Spikelet length
- 4–7 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 0
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets have pedicels
- Spikelet pedicel length
- 3–10 mm
- Spikelet position
- the spikelets emerge mainly from the upper halves of the inflorescence branches
- Spikelet shape
-
- the spikelets are another shape in profile
- the spikelets are ovate (egg-shaped, widest below the middle with rounded ends) in profile
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
- the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
- Upper glume length
- 3.5–5 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- the upper glume is more than one half as long as the lowest lemma
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed length
- 2.5–2.8 mm
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizomes
- no
- Roots
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has large or prominent tufts of leaves at the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf basal lobe hairy
- NA
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is clearly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- the leaf blade is hairy
- Leaf blade length
- 12–25 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 0.3–2 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 1–2.5 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- 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 color and persistence
- the leaf sheathes are off-white to light-brown and mostly persist in older leaves
- 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
- Orientation of topmost leaf
-
- NA
- the flag leaf is held upright, or at less than a 45 degree angle out from the stem
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- alpine or subalpine zones
- cliffs, balds, or ledges
- forests
- grasslands
- mountain summits and plateaus
- ridges or ledges
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes are hairless or they have very sparse hairs
- Plant height
- 30–80 cm
- Roots at lower stem nodes
- no
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly to completely hairless
- Stem node number
- 2
- Stem orientation
-
- the stems are upright
- the stems trail at the base, but turn upwards at the tips
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Native to North America?
Yes
Synonyms
- Aira flexuosa L.
- Avenella flexuosa (L.) Drej.
- Avenella flexuosa (L.) Drej. ssp. montana (L.) A. & D. Löve
- Deschampsia flexuosa ssp. montana (L.) A. & D. Löve
- Lerchenfeldia flexuosa (L.) Schur
- Lerchenfeldia flexuosa (L.) Schur ssp. montana (L.) Tzvelev
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
5. Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin. N
wavy hair grass. Aira flexuosa L.; Avenella flexuosa (L.) Drej.; A. flexuosa (L.) Drej. ssp. montana (L.) A. & D. Löve; Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin. ssp. montana (L.) A. & D. Löve; Lerchenfeldia flexuosa (L.) Schur; L. flexuosa (L.) Schur ssp. montana (L.) Tzvelev • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Thin and/or sandy soils of balds, mountains, woodlands, sand plains, forest openings, and ledges, sometimes forming extensive vegetative colonies in evergreen forests on mid-elevation peaks. Plants from high-elevation peaks have been segregated as ssp. montana. These plants have larger spikelets (5–7 mm vs. 4–5 mm in low-elevation plants) and more contracted panicles. They may deserve formal recognition (see Löve and Löve 1966 for discussion).