Downy alpine oatgrass (Avenula pubescens)
Synonyms: Avena pubescens, Helictotrichon pubescensCommon Names: Downy oat grass
Description: Considered the only accepted and recognized species of the Avenula genus.
Habit: Shortly stoloniferous perennial that can reach a height of 1-3 feet.
Leaves: Basal and alternate, erect to ascending near the base. 1.5-12 in. long, 2-6 mm wide, lance-linear, flat or folded lengthwise, whitish along the edge. Lower leaves densely to moderately covered with find, spreading hairs on both surfaces and upper leaves usually hairless.
Stems: Hairless, multiple from the base, forming loose to dense clumps, erect or sometimes prostrate but rising at a lower node. Nodes are smooth.
Flowers: Loose, erect to nodding, branching cluster at top of stem. 4-7 in. long, ascending to spreading becoming more erect. 1-4 spikelets per branch but upper branches singular. Spikelets short-stalked, 10-16 mm long, slightly flattened, narrowly oblong-elliptic with 2-4 florets.
Fruit and seeds: Spikelets are light brown in color and shed as each grain matures. Grains are brown, narrowly elliptic, smooth with short hairs at the tip.
Habitat: Native to Eurasia. Can be found growing in fields, roadsides, open woods and clearings.
Reproduction: Vegetatively.
Similar species: Native spike oat (Avenula hookeri), Poverty grass (Danthonia spicata)
Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from Minnesota Wildflowers.
Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org).Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Google (http://images.google.com).