Melica

By Bruce Homer-Smith

Melica is the only California genus in the Melic Tribe.

California’s Melica grasses have distinctive characters:

· They’re all native, perennial bunch grasses.

· They have no awns, except for Awned Melic (M. aristata)

· Spikelets are cylindrical – not flattened. Glumes and florets have a rounded back, not keeled. Their tips are round, not pointed.

· Glume and floret edges are papery or translucent.

Here are some examples:

Papery, oval glumes:

California Melic (Melica californica)

Photo by Keir Morse

Glume backs are rounded:

Coast Range Melic (Melica imperfecta)

Photo by Keir Morse

The onion grass group have longer branches.

Purple Onion Grass (Melica spectabilis)

Photo by Steve Matson

Awned Melic is the only Melica with significant awns.

Awned Melic (Melica aristata)

Photo by Steve Matson

In Purple Onion Grass, above, you can see 5 purple-tipped florets plus a pale “rudiment” of sterile florets above. This rudiment is found in all Melicas, but often is not obvious.

Leaf sheaths are closed (not overlapping).

California Melic (Melica californica)

Photo by Keir Morse

California has 13 species of Melica. They can be broken into two groups:

· Onion Grasses have inflorescence branches that open up at maturity. They also have onion-like corms just below the ground.

· Melic Grasses have tight, but branched, inflorescences.

Corrections/Comments: bruce@PlantID.net