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Montana Field Guide

Montana Field Guides

Smith's Melicgrass - Melica smithii

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Native Species

Global Rank: G4
State Rank: S3S4
(see State Rank Reason below)
C-value:


Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:


 

External Links

State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Melica smithii occurs sporadically across Montana, growing in cool, moist woods. Data indicate that it is under-collected rather than being rare.
  • Details on Status Ranking and Review
    Smith's Melicgrass (Melica smithii) Conservation Status Review
    Review Date = 09/06/2017
    View State Conservation Rank Criteria
    Range Extent

    ScoreF - 20,000-200,000 sq km (~8,000-80,000 sq mi)

    Area of Occupancy

    ScoreD - 6-25 4-km2 grid cells

    Number of Populations

    ScoreB - 6 - 20

    Number of Occurrences or Percent Area with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity

    ScoreC - Few (4-12) occurrences with excellent or good viability or ecological integrity

    Environmental Specificity

    ScoreC - Moderate. Generalist or community with some key requirements scarce

    Threats

    ScoreD - Low

    CommentNo known threats.

 
General Description
Bunchgrass Stems 60–100 cm tall, from a slender base. Leaves: blades 6–12 mm wide, ligules 2–4 mm long. Inflorescence a narrow panicle or raceme 10–30 cm long, branches solitary, spreading or bent downwards. Spikelets 12–18 mm long. Lemmas: 3 to 5 per spikelet, with a 2–8 mm awn borne from the tip (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Species Range
Montana Range Range Descriptions

Native
 


Range Comments
Southern British Columbia to Oregon, east to Alberta, Montana and Wyoming. Also known to Ontario and Michigan.

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 37

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat


References
  • Literature Cited AboveLegend:   View Online Publication
    • Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part I: Vascular Cryptogams, Gymnosperms and Monocotyledons. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 914 pp.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
  • Additional ReferencesLegend:   View Online Publication
    Do you know of a citation we're missing?
    • Britton, N. L. and A. B. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions. 2nd Edition in 3 Volumes. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. B13BRI01PAUS.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
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Citation for data on this website:
Smith's Melicgrass — Melica smithii.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from