Introduction to the tribes Meliceae (49-50) and Poeae(51-64). Use the key to grass tribes on pages 2-4 in the Grasses of Montana to learn the distinguishing features of these grass tribes.
49. Catabrosa aquatica. Brookgrass. A native riparian or wetland perennial that often roots at nodes, sometimes forming dense stands, of aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats, inflorescence is an open panicle, spikelets with usually 2 florets and long rachilla internodes (single florets may appear as individual spikelets), lemmas with 3 prominent and parallel veins, leaf sheaths closed at least initially.
50. Melica spectabilis. Oniongrass. A loosely bunched or single stemmed perennial, stems born from slender rhizomes and corms, which are swollen stem bases that appear onion-like (edible in the early summer), this particular species has corms that are separated by short rhizomes, inflorescence a narrow panicle, spikelets with prominent veins, inhabiting montane meadows.
51. Bromus carinatus (Bromus marginatus). Mountain brome. Native, loosely bunched perennial, inflorescence an open ascending panicle at anthesis, spikelets strongly keeled, open sites or open understory mostly in the mountains.
52. Bromus mollis. Soft brome. Introduced bunched annual, leaf blades 2-3 mm wide; inflorescence a narrow panicle because of the distinctively short pedicels, lemmas distinctly hairy, inhabiting distrubed sites.
53. Bromus tectorum. Cheatgrass brome. Introduced bunched annual, inflorescence an open often nodding panicle, spikelets with lemmas that narrowly taper to two narrow teeth, lemma hairy and with a straight to twisted awn, inhabiting disturbed areas, plants often curing distinctly reddish, often spreading after a fire in the sagebrush steppe especially south and west of Montana, maturing much earlier than most co-existing species.
54. Cynosurus echinatus. Spiny Dog's Tail. An introduced bunched annual, inflorescence a contracted secund panicle (similar to Dactylis), spikelets are dimorphic, one type has only numerous sterile lemmas, the other has large glumes housing about 2 florets, inhabiting disturbed sites.
55. Dactylis glomerata. Orchard grass. Introduced perennial bunchgrass often forming large tussocks, leaf sheath keeled and the leaf blades are often strongly folded, inflorescence a secund contracted panicle, the panicle consists of tight clusters of spikelets swept to one side of the rachis (secund), disturbed areas and sometimes in lawns.
56. Schedonorus pratensis (the old name is Festuca pratensis) . Meadow fescue. An introduced perennial bunchgrass, leaves with well developed auricles, awnless or awn-tipped lemmas, inflorescence is a narrow panicle, cultivated as a pasture grass, rarely escaping (auricles of the related Schedonorus arundinaceus have ciliate margins).
57. Festuca campestris (the old name is Festuca scabrella). Rough fescue. Perennial bunchgrass that dominates higher elevation or northern latitude grasslands, new basal leaf sheaths are reddish. (the similar Leucopoa kingii, a perennial bunchgrass common to similar higher elevation open dry sites lacks the fescue ligule and its spikelets lack awns).
58. Vulpia octoflora. Sixweeks fescue. A small bunched annual. The inflorescence is a narrow secund panicle (sometimes the secund arrangement of spikelets is not evident), florets are well spaced along the rachilla, like Festuca, inhabiting disturbed sites.
59. Lolium perenne. Ryegrass. Intoruced annual to biennial or short-lived perennial bunchgrass, inflorescence a terminal two-sided spike with spikelets attached edge-wise, found mostly as a component of lawn grasses and pasture mixes. (Lolium multiflorum is a similar annual to short-lived perennial bunchgrass of disturbed settings but has lemmas with awns.)
60. Lolium persicum. Persian ryegrass. An introduced bunched annual, most of the lemmas have disarticulated but note the very large second glume and lemmas with a slender curving awn, inhabiting disturbed areas.
61. Poa cusickii. Cusick bluegrass. Native bunched perennials with a basal tuft of stiff leaf blades stiff 1 mm wide, inflorescence a short narrow contracted panicle usually much less than 8 cm long, spikelets laterally compressed (left hand specimens; compared to dorsally compressed spikelets of Poa secunda on the right), early summer flowering mostly in open shrub-grass vegetation.
62. Poa secunda. Sandberg bluegrass. A perennial bunchgrass with a basal tuft of leaves, inflorescence a narrow panicle (Poa secunda of right, Poa cusickii on left), spikelets not compressed laterally, early summer flowering and common in open shrub-grass vegetation throughout the state.
63. Poa bulbosa. Bulbous bluegrass. Introduced weedy short-lived perennial bunchgrass, stem bases commonly bulbous, spikelets with florets mostly transformed into small vegetative bulbs, competes well with other (sometimes less desirable) grasses on disturbed sites.
64. Puccinellia nuttalliana. Nuttall alkaligrass. Native bunched perennials, inflorescence an open panicle, spikelets appressed to the rachis, lemmas blunt to rounded at tip, mostly of moist alkaline soils but occasionally scattered in open shrub-grass vegetation.
