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- Dichotomous Key
- Poaceae
- Poaceae Group 7
- Nardus
- Nardus stricta
Nardus stricta — doormat grass
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Facts
Doormat grass is a non-native grass that has been collected in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, where it colonizes fields, roadsides, river banks and ski trails.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), floodplain (river or stream floodplains), 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.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 0.5–1 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Spikelet length
- 5–10 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 1–4.5 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.5–2 mm
- Anther length
- 1–4 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 1–4 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
- 1
- 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
- Glume shape
- NA
- Glume veins
- NA
- Glumes per spikelet
-
- 0
- 1
- 2
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branch length
- 0 cm
- Inflorescence branch roughness
- NA
- Inflorescence branches
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Inflorescence branches coming off the lowest stem node
- 0
- Inflorescence crowding
- NA
- Inflorescence length
- 10–80 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn coiled
- the lemma awn is straight or twisted, but not coiled one half turn
- Lemma awn length
- 1–4.5 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma awn orientation
- the awn of the lemma is straight
- Lemma base hair length
- 0 mm
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma is hairless or feels just a tiny bit rough at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is V-shaped 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 a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma tip shape
- the lemma tip tapers to a long narrow point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
- Lemma vein number
- 3
- Lemma vein orientation
- the veins on the lemma come together near the tip
- Lower glume relative length
-
- NA
- the lower glume is one third or less as long as the upper glume
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- 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 no 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
- 5–10 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 1
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets do not have pedicels
- Spikelet pedicel length
- 0 mm
- Spikelet position
- NA
- Spikelet shape
- the spikelets are lanceolate (lance-shaped, widest below the middle and tapering narrowly to the ends) in profile
- Spikelets per panicle branch
- 0
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
-
- NA
- the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
- Upper glume length
- At least 0 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- NA
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed length
- 3–4.5 mm
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
-
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 hairs
- the leaf blade is hairy
- Leaf blade length
- 4–30 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 0.5–1 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.5–2 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
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- river or stream floodplains
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 3–60 cm
- Roots at lower stem nodes
- no
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Nardus stricta L. E
doormat grass. MA, NH, VT. Fields, roadsides, river banks, ski trails.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Elymus trachycaulus:
- spikelets excluding the awns mostly 9-17 mm long, alternating on each side of the inflorescence rachis (vs. N. stricta, with spikelets excluding the awns 5-10 mm long, secund on one side of the inflorescence rachis).