Thinopyrum ponticum

Species category

Agricultural, Revegetation or Rangeland

Common name

tall wheatgrass

Diagnostic characters

Planting unit

FloretFloret:
A small flower in a clustered inflorescence (e.g., sunflower, grasses). In grasses, a floret consists of the lemma, palea, stamens, and pistil.

Shape

Long ovalOval:
Broadly elliptic.

Size

  • Length 1 mm
  • Width 2 mm
  • Thickness 1.5 mm

Color

Light brown with dark lavender caryopsisCaryopsis:
The single-seeded fruit or grain of the grass family (Poaceae); the fruit wall (pericarp) is united with the seed coat (testa).

Texture

Dull, scurfyScurf:
Having flakes on the surface.
and sparsely pubescentPubescent:
Having hairs.

Lemma

Smooth; veins ribbed at apexApical:
The distal end of the fruit or seed away from the point of attachment or attachment scar.
; apexApical:
The distal end of the fruit or seed away from the point of attachment or attachment scar.
awnless and truncated.

Palea

Concavity broad and shallow with slight crease

Other structures

RachillaRachilla:
The axis of a spikelet.
is short and thick at the apexApical:
The distal end of the fruit or seed away from the point of attachment or attachment scar.
. GlumesGlume:
The pair of chaffy bracts that occur at the base of a grass spikelet, often completely enclosing it.
are shorter than the basal floretFloret:
A small flower in a clustered inflorescence (e.g., sunflower, grasses). In grasses, a floret consists of the lemma, palea, stamens, and pistil.
.

Identification notes

GlumesGlume:
The pair of chaffy bracts that occur at the base of a grass spikelet, often completely enclosing it.
are short and about half the length of the basal floretFloret:
A small flower in a clustered inflorescence (e.g., sunflower, grasses). In grasses, a floret consists of the lemma, palea, stamens, and pistil.
. LemmaLemma:
One of two bracts of the grass floret; it is located on the side nearest the embryo and opposite the rachilla.
has distinct marginal ledges on either side of the base. Hairs on the paleaPalea:
One of the thin bracts of grass floret enclosing the fruit (caryopsis) that is located on the side opposite the embryo.
margins are long, fine and close-spaced.

Noxious weed seed categories

Not listed

AOSA examination list

Included

Nomenclature

Family

Poaceae

Valid name

Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey

Synonyms

Agropyron elongatum (Host) P. Beauv.
Agropyron varnense (Velen.) Hayek
Elytrigia elongata (Host) Nevski
Elymus elongatus (Host) Runemark
Elymus elongatus (Host) Runemark var. ponticus (Podp.) Dorn
Elytrigia pontica (Podp.) Holub
Elytrigia pontica (Podp.) Holub ssp. pontica 
Elymus varnensis
(Velen.) Runemark
Lophopyrum elongatum (Host) Á. Löve

 Thinopyrum ponticum . Florets with a short rachilla and thick apex.
Thinopyrum ponticum. Florets with a short rachilla and thick apex.