Hilaria rigida

Last updated

Hilaria rigida
Hilaria rigida.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Hilaria
Species:
H. rigida
Binomial name
Hilaria rigida
(Thurb.) Benth. ex Scribn.
Synonyms [1]

Pleuraphis rigidaThurb.

Hilaria rigida (formerly Pleuraphis rigida [2] ) is a species of clumping perennial grass that is widespread in California deserts. [3] It is commonly known as big galleta. [4] [5] [6] [7] It is a monocot in the Hilaria genus of the grass family (Poaceae). [3]

Contents

It can be recognized after seed dispersal by the wiry, wavy inflorescence stalks (flexuose) that continue to stick out of the clump of leaf blades. [5] [7] The stems are unusual among grasses in that they are solid, even between the nodes, whereas most grasses have hollow stems. [5]

The clumps help stabilize sand dunes. [5] [8] According to botanist Philip A. Munz, "it is said to be one of the most valuable forage grasses of the desert". [6] Clumps can live more than 100 years. [5]

Habitat, range, and distribution

Big galleta is found in sand dunes, bajadas, scrublands, woodlands, and deserts. [9] It prefers dry, open, sandy to rocky slopes and flats. [9] It occurs on all soil types, but has poor growth in clay soils. [9] It is tolerant of arid environments such as desert floors, and it is the dominant grass in some desert scrub regions. [8] It is found on plains, in sand dunes, and on rocky hillsides. [9] It grows from sea level to about 1,600 m (5,200 ft). [3] [4] In the Mojave Desert, it grows up to 1,220 m (4,000 ft). [5] [6]

It is common in creosote bush scrub, joshua tree woodland, and blackbrush scrub plant communities, and areas with sandy soils, such as the Kelso sand dunes. [3] [6] [7] In the eastern Mojave Desert, it is more common than its relative, galleta grass ( Pleuraphis jamesii ). [7]

It is a common native to the Mojave Desert [4] [5] and Sonoran Desert [4] [5] to Sonora, Mexico. [5] It can be found in California, Arizona into northern Mexico, Colorado, Utah, less commonly, but also in other parts of Mexico and rarely in sand dunes in Utah's Washington and Kane Counties. [4] [9]

Description

Growth pattern

Hilaria rigida is a long-lived, shrubby or bushy, clumping perennial grass producing coarse, erect stems reaching 1 m (3.3 ft) in maximum height. [4] [5] [6] It spreads from hard, woody rhizomes to form grayish, hairy, open, erect hummocks and clumps. [5] [6] The clumps can live to more than 100 years old. [5] Its primary means of reproduction is by rhizomes, possibly also by tillering. [9] It has a bush-like appearance because it is highly branched at the base. [9] Clumping results from spread by tillers or short rhizomes. [9] Clumps of leaves are 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.22 m) wide. [9] Seeds fall when mature, but their stalks persist, sticking out from the clumps like zigzagging wires, by which the plant can be identified at a distance. [9]

It is drought tolerant and very fast growing after rains. [9] It typically undergoes two major growth periods, one after winter rains, the other after summer monsoons. [9] It is reported to be more effective than many other desert plants at extracting water from the soil during dry periods. [9]

Roots, stems, and leaves

Roots are shallow and radiate outward from the base of the plant. [9]

Fuzzy to wooly stems are stiff, heavy, and coarse, from 12 to 40 in (300 to 1,020 mm) long. [9] The stems are unusual among grasses in that they are solid, even between the nodes, whereas most grasses have hollow stems. [5] They can be either erect or lying on the ground (decumbent). [9] Stems have nodes that are lined with long, sometimes curly hairs. [5] [7]

Leaf blades are coarse and firm, fairly wide, and almost straight, from grayish to blue-green, sometimes with light wooly fuzz, and have curly hairs and edges that are rolled upward. [5] [6] They are from 1.0 to 2.5 in (2.5 to 6.4 cm) long. [9] Leaves are attached either to the base of the plant or along the upright stems that bear the heads of seeds. [9]

Inflorescence and fruit

The inflorescence is a series of hairy or brush-like rectangular[ citation needed ] spikelets, occur in clusters of three, [7] between 2 and 3 in (5.1 and 7.6 cm). [6] The grass produces relatively few viable seeds [9] and spreads mostly by its tillers and sometimes via rhizomes. [8] The inflorescence stalk persists after the seeds drop, sticking out of the clump of leaf blades like stiff, wavy wires. [5] [7]

It blooms between December and January according to some sources, [3] from May to June in the Mojave Desert according to others, [5] and from February through June in the Mohave Desert according to others. [9] The variation may result from a paucity of information on germination characteristics (as of 2014). [9]

Seedlings rarely become established. [9] The head of seeds is a spike of seeds with much chaff. [9]

Spikes are 1.5 to 4.0 in (3.8 to 10.2 cm) long. [9]

Ecology

The hummocky, clumpy form of the grass helps it stabilize loose and blowing sand when it grows in desert dune habitat. [5] [8] [9] It acts as a nurse plant to seedlings of other species, such as cholla and barrel cactus, in turn receiving protection from herbivory by growing next to the spiny plants. [8] It is not palatable to elk and waterfowl. [9]

Associated plant species include Larrea tridentata (creosote bush), Ambrosia dumosa (white bursage), Coleogyne ramosissima (blackbrush), Yucca brevifolia (joshua trees), Yucca species, Krameria erecta (range ratany), Krascheninnikovia (winterfat), Encelia farinosa (brittle bush), Ephedra species, Lycium andersonii (wolfberry), and Sphaeralcea (globemallow). [9]

Uses

Big galleta is heavily grazed [7] and is valuable as a fair to good forage crop for sheep and cattle. [9] Botanist Philip A. Munz commented that "it is said to be one of the most valuable forage grasses of the desert". [6] It resprouts after grazing followed by rains,[ citation needed ] and coarseness and clumping help protect it from trampling. [9]

It is used for erosion control and in revegetation efforts. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Oryzopsis hymenoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Oryzopsis hymenoides is a cool-season, perennial bunchgrass with narrow, rolled leaf blades. It is native to western North America east of the Cascades from British Columbia and Alberta south to southern California, northeastern Mexico, and Texas.

<i>Ammophila arenaria</i> Species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae

Ammophila arenaria is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is known by the common names marram grass and European beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus Ammophila. It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Africa where it grows in the sands of beach dunes. It is a perennial grass forming stiff, hardy clumps of erect stems up to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height. It grows from a network of thick rhizomes which give it a sturdy anchor in its sand substrate and allow it to spread upward as sand accumulates. These rhizomes can grow laterally by 2 metres in six months. One clump can produce 100 new shoots annually.

<i>Swallenia</i> Genus of grasses

Swallenia is a rare genus of plants in the grass family, found only in Death Valley National Park, California.

<i>Coleogyne</i> Genus of flowering plants

Coleogyne ramosissima or blackbrush, is a low lying, dark grayish-green, aromatic, spiny, perennial, soft wooded shrub, native to the deserts of the southwestern United States. It is called blackbrush because the gray branches darken when wet by rains. It is in the rose family (Rosaceae), and is the only species in the monotypic genus Coleogyne.

<i>Festuca idahoensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plains grasslands.

<i>Carex nebrascensis</i> Species of sedge

Carex nebrascensis is a species of sedge known as Nebraska sedge.

<i>Carex pansa</i> Species of grass-like plant

Carex pansa is a species of sedge known by the common name sand dune sedge. It is native to coast of western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in dunes and other sandy habitat. This grasslike sedge produces sharply triangular stems up to about 40 centimeters tall from a network of thin, long, coarse rhizomes. The inflorescence is a cluster of several spikes of dark brownish flowers. The plant sometimes produces only male or female flowers in its inflorescences, but not both. This sedge is sometimes used as a grass substitute in local landscaping schemes.

<i>Sphaeralcea gierischii</i> Species of endangered plant

Sphaeralcea gierischii, Gierisch's globemallow or Gierisch mallow, is an endangered species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is native to the western United States, where it is known only from Utah and Arizona. It was described in 2002.

<i>Hilaria</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Hilaria is a genus of North American plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as curly mesquite. They are found in the Southwestern United States, Mexico, and Guatemala.

<i>Oenothera californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera californica, known by the common name California evening primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family.

<i>Hilaria jamesii</i> Species of flowering plant

Hilaria jamesii is a species of grass known by the common name James' galleta.

<i>Calamagrostis montanensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Calamagrostis montanensis is a species of grass known by the common names plains reedgrass and prairie reedgrass. It is native to North America, where it is found across Canada from British Columbia to Manitoba and south to Colorado in the United States.

<i>Panicum repens</i> Species of plant

Panicum repens is a species of grass known by many common names, including torpedograss, creeping panic, panic rampant, couch panicum, wainaku grass, quack grass, dog-tooth grass, and bullet grass. Its exact native range is obscure. Sources suggest that the grass is native to "Africa and/or Asia", "Europe or Australia", "Eurasia", "Australia", "Europe, Asia, and Africa", or other specific regions, including the Mediterranean, Israel, and Argentina. It is present in many places as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It has been called "one of the world's worst weeds."

<i>Hilaria mutica</i> Grass species

Hilaria mutica, synonym Pleuraphis mutica, is a species of grass known by the common name tobosa, or tobosa grass. It is native to Northern Mexico, and the Southwestern United States, in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

<i>Psathyrostachys juncea</i> Species of grass

Psathyrostachys juncea is a species of grass known by the common name Russian wildrye. It was formerly classified as Elymus junceus. It is native to Russia and China, and has been introduced to other parts of the world, such as Canada and the United States. Psathyrostachys juncea is a great source of food for grazing animals, as it has high nutrition value in its dense basal leaves, even in the late summer and autumn seasons. This species can grow and prosper in many harsh environments, making it an ideal candidate for improvement as it can grow in areas were farming is difficult. This species is a drought-resistant forage plant and can survive during the cool seasons. It is also a cross-pollinator and is self-sterile. This means that P. juncea cannot self-fertilize; it must find another plant of the same species with which to exchange gametes. Self-sterilization increases the genetic diversity of a species.

<i>Panicum amarum</i> Species of flowering plant

Panicum amarum is a species of grass known by the common name bitter panicum. It is native to North America, where it is found in coastal regions along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States and into northeastern Mexico. It also occurs in The Bahamas and in Cuba.

Eremocrinum is a monotypic genus of plants in the subfamily Agavoideae containing the single species Eremocrinum albomarginatum. It is known by the common names Utah solitaire lily, Intermountain false-wheatgrass, desert lily, lonely lily, and sand lily. It is native to the western United States, where it is known from Arizona and Utah.

The flora of the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the Western United States.

<i>Carex eburnea</i> Species of grass-like plant

Carex eburnea, known as ivory sedge, ebony sedge, and bristleleaf or bristle-leaved sedge, is a small and slender sedge native to North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland south to central Mexico.

References

  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  2. Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd. Ed 2013, p. 314
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hilaria rigida, CalFlora Database, CalFlora Database: Hilaria rigida (big galleta)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jepson Desert Manual, Hickman, Ornduff, Constance, 2002, p. 592–593
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd. Ed 2013, p. 285
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Introduction to California Desert Wildflowers, Philip A. Munz, revised 2004, p. 70
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Plants of the East Mojave, Adrienne Knute, revised ed. 2002, p. 55
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 US Forest Service Fire Ecology
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Big Galleta, Range of Plants of Utah, Utah State University