''Vulpia microstachys'' is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

known by the common names small fescue and small sixweeks grass. It is native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, where it grows in many types of open habitat, including

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s. It is dominant on some grasslands of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and it was probably an abundant native grass before the habitat was altered by invasive non-native grasses.US Forest Service Fire Ecology
/ref> It occurs on

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...

s with associates such as serpentine reedgrass (''Calamagrostis ophitidis''). It is also known from parts of South America. It is an annual grass producing one stem or a clump of several stems growing up to 75 centimeters tall. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

has several open branches bearing clusters of purple-tinged spikelets. The spikelet has one to six flowers. The grass is usually

cleistogamous Cleistogamy is a type of automatic self-pollination of certain plants that can propagate by using non-opening, self-pollinating flowers. Especially well known in peanuts, peas, and pansies, this behavior is most widespread in the grass family. How ...

, its flowers fertilizing themselves. There are four varieties which are sometimes difficult to tell apart; they are separated on the basis of the arrangement and amount of hairs on the spikelets.Grass Manual Treatment
/ref> *''V. m.'' var. ''ciliata'' - Eastwood fescue *''V. m.'' var. ''confusa'' - confusing fescue *''V. m.'' var. ''microstachys'' - desert fescue *''V. m.'' var. ''pauciflora'' - Pacific fescue

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
Pooideae {{Pooideae-stub