''Imperata brevifolia'' is a species of

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

known by the common name California satintail.

Distribution

It is native to the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It is also native to northern Mexico, where it grows in arid regions where water is available.

Description

''Imperata brevifolia'' is a perennial grass growing from a hard

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

to heights near 1.5 meters. The flat leaves are up to 50 centimeters long and 1.5 wide. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a narrow, cylindrical white plume up 10 to 30 centimeters long. It is filled thickly with silky white hairs and dotted with dark speckles which are the orange-brown

anthers The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

and purplish-brown stigmas of the spikelets.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Imperata brevifolia''''Imperata brevifolia'' - Photo gallery
Andropogoneae Grasses of the United States Native grasses of California Grasses of Mexico Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Panicoideae-stub