Koeleria micrathera Griseb., Poaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Other Latin names:  Koeleria kurtzii Hack. ex Kurtz; Leptophyllochloa micrathera (E. Desv.) C.E. Calderón

Common name(s): [more details]

English: crested hair-grass, June grass, prairie junegrass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 4-35 cm long; 2-3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2-0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 1-10 cm long; 0.5-2 mm wide. Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear; interrupted; nodding; 1-10 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; scaberulous. Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 2-4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 2.75-5.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pilose. Floret callus pubescent. Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1-3 mm long; 0.33-0.5 length of upper glume; hyaline; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 2-4.5 mm long; 0.66-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acuminate. Florets: Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3-4.5 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; shiny; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 0.5-3 mm long overall. Palea 0.5-0.75 length of lemma; hyaline. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Flower: Lodicules 2; oblong; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.2-0.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous"  (GrassBase).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized and common on dry slopes in pastures, grassland, and disturbed slopes in pastures, grassland, and disturbed areas, 1,370-2,830 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1557).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Southern South America  (GrassBase).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 554)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1557) Voucher cited: Rock 3257 (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)		Missouri Botanical Garden (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Koeleria micrathera is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Koeleria micrathera as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Koeleria micrathera may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Clayton, W.D./Harman, K.T./Williamson, H. 2011. World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval [GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora]. The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Missouri Botanical Garden. 2011. TROPICOS. Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).