Jointed Goatgrass - Aegilops cylindrica
Other Names:
Triticum cylindricum
Cool season, annual bunchgrass. Stems 25–50 cm. Leaves: blades 2–5 mm wide, flat and lax; sheaths with overlapping margins; ligule membranous. Inflorescence a 2-sided but cylindrical spike 5–15 cm long. Spikelets 8–14 mm long, one per node, partially to completely embedded within the rachis, usually comprising several florets; glumes broad and asymmetrical, usually awned by extension of the eccentric midrib, especially on the distal-most spikelets. Lemmas similar to glumes, awnless to awned especially on the distal-most spikelets; palea well developed. Disarticulation below the glumes; unit of dispersal the spikelet and internode of the adjacent inflorescence rachis (Lavin in
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Disturbed settings including in and around crop fields where wheat is commonly cultivated (Lavin in
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).