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Perennial Dominated Community. This community is a mixture of shrubs, perennial forbs (both tap- rooted and leguminous), and deep rooted perennial grasses. Deep rooted and Shallow rooted Perennial Grasses. 3
Perennial Dominated Community. This site contains more juniper and sagebrush but still has a strong component of perennial grasses and perennial forbs Annual / Perennial Mix This site has a mixture of tap- rooted perennial forbs, annual forbs, annual grasses, and a scattered collection of deep rooted perennial grasses. Many of the annual forbs and annual grasses increase with disturbance and nitrogen levels in the soil. 4
Annual Dominated Community This community is dominated by annual grasses. Although there may be a few surviving perrennial bunch grasses, the increased disturbance has caused a shift towards a cheatgrass and medusahead. Field Identification of Grasses. We have found that using grass is a more reliable way to characterize a site. Annual and perennial forbs can be inconsistent and in some years they may not express themselves at all. Grasses, especially perennial grasses, are present every year. Under ideal conditions we would identify grasses when they are green and forming seed heads. Most grass keys use seed heads and seed characteristics to distinguish between species. Unfortunately these conditions only exist for 1-2 months out of the year. 5
Under ideal conditions we would identify grasses when they are green and forming seed heads. Most grass keys use seed heads and seed characteristics to distinguish between species. Unfortunately these conditions only exist for 1-2 months out of the year. 6
In this case, a fire removed all the dead material from past growing seasons and all that is available for identification is resprouting tillers or new seedlings. Knowing how to ID using leaf blades, old seed heads, litter, and general growth form can be very helpful. 7
Vegetative characteristics of common Great Basin grass species. The individual unit of a grass plant is a tiller. A tiller consists of a culm with leaves. The seed head is at the end of the culm. This slide shows the details of the leaf collar the area where the leaf blade meets the culm. Key parts of the leaf collar are the sheath, the auricles and the ligule. The leaf sheath is leaf material that wraps around the stiff culms. Where the leaf sheath leaves the culm and the leaf blade starts to grow is called the leaf collar. I like to picture the sheath and the collar as a shirt some shirts button- up right to the top and are closed around the neck. Other shirts or even a robe are loosely wrapped around the neck and left open. Leaf sheaths and collars can be closed, tightly wrapped (figure on left) or open and loose (figures on right). A grass blade grows from the bottom up it pushes out from the leaf collar like a fingernail from the nail bed. forms as the leaf blade grows. These ligules can be smooth or shaggy, pointed or flat. There are many, many different ways the ligule can take shape. To continue this analogy, the auricles are little protrusions at the leaf We will be using ligules and leaf collars to distinguish many of the Great Basin grass species. 8
bluebunch wheatgrass Old seed heads often persist into the next growing season they are a long, slender stick that zig- zag slightly. These can be found sticking above the bunchgrass. Bluebunch can grow into old, open bunches where the center has died and the new growth has formed a ring. The example on this slide burned in a fire and all that resprouted was the younger outer ring. drawing emphasizes the ligule, in reality it is not noticeable without a hand lens. The leaf blades are comparatively narrow not much wider than the culm. The purple auricles and narrow leaf blades can be seen even in winter on dead material. 9
crested wheatgrass Crested often grows in large, dense, upright bunches. The old seed heads remain most of the year and remind me of a fish bone / herringbone design. Crested has long, slender, yellow auricles at the collar. Unlike bluebunch, the leaf blade is much wider than the culm and balloons out at the collar. 10
The Old Agropyron Group Originally grasses were classified using physical characteristics alone now genetics often determine new classifications. Crested, bluebunch, Western and intermediate wheatgrasses were all classified in the same Genus this old classification system still is useful when comparing and contrasting these species in the field. Bluebunch has purple auricles and narrow blades. Crested has yellow auricles and the blades that balloon out at the collar. 11
basin wildrye Basin wildrye is a large bunchgrass this example was around 5 feet or taller. The seed heads are hand- length. If your are trying to identify it as a seedling or after a fire when size is not helpful, the nodes (joints/ LARGE. bottlebrush squirreltail This plant is a chameleon. It will look like bluebunch (dark green and tall) or it will be light green and in a - screws throughout the base this is visible even in winter. The young seed heads look like a squirrel's tail and the ripe seed heads spread out like a bottlebrush. These ripe seed heads can be easily confused with a robust medusahead at first glance. 12
bottlebrush squirreltail when it is ripe, segments brake off and blow away like tiny tumbleweeds. At the end of the season all that remains is the last row of glumes. You (Medusahead drops its seed without breaking apart at the end of the season the seed head looks much the same just less full.) Squirreltail is often covered in a velvety hair and the shaggy ligule, unlike bluebunch, is usually visible without a hand lens. Auricles can be present or completely absent however, I have never seen purple auricles on a squirreltail. NOTE: I typically use the white cork- screw trash and the pinwheels as my first means of identification. If those are lacking I move on to pubescence and/or a visible ligule. 13
prairie junegrass ( This plant, without seed heads present, may be confused with squirreltail at first glance. However the leaves and culms are thicker and fleshier. The ligule is large, white, thick and rounded The edges are scalloped, not ragged. The dead material does not form cork- screws and old, dense seed heads can be found most of the year (be sure to look on the ground or on near by plants for comparison!!). 14
Idaho fescue These are fine leafed, dense bunch grasses with open, lacy seed heads. The leaves are fine, tightly rolled, and smooth. The very first thing I do when looking at a possible fescue is pull out some roots. Older roots are typically black the only one in our region with black roots. (note: younger roots can be white and fleshy). These are hard to pull out in winter because the dead leaves break before the roots, but grasp tight at the base of a small clump and pull!! Roots are not always definitive. Fescue leaf collars are shaped like a straight backed wooden chair when viewed from the side. This is also helpful in winter when the roots are hard to get. The ligule looks large in the drawing, but in reality it is green, see- though, and hard to distinguish from the rest of the collar. 15
Thurber needlegrass However, these leaves are typically stiffer than fescue and feel like sand- paper when you stroke them from 1) It does not have black roots. 2) It has very distinct, long ligules 3) The leaves are stiff and rough The ligules on the Thurber needlegrass is a long, almost see- through flag that extends down the leaf sheath. The two examples above are nearly a centimeter long. This ligule is easy to find on early spring growth, flowering plants and even on dead tillers in the middle of winter. 16
Needlegrass - Broader, Flatter leaf - Wider Ligule still very long Compared to Blue Bunch Wheatgrass - Longer Ligule - No auricles - Seed heads are a panicle (This difference would be evident even with dead materials) in short (2- bunches that often form pedestals. They are the first perennial bunchgrass to green- up in spring and the first to turn brown and drop seed in summer. Their leaf blades are typically flexible, smooth and folded down the center. I always look for the formed at the center of each leaf. In our area, this plant is famous for growing into and around the bases of larger, deep- rooted perennial grasses. It is common to see Sandberg seed heads emerging from the edge or center of a squirreltail or bluebunch plant that has just begun to green up. Although not deep rooted, these plants have extensive lateral roots that are effective at capturing rainfall from short duration rain events. In addition, we are finding that they offer a lot of competition to emerging native grass seedlings. 17
Cheatgrass Cheatgrass and medusahead are two annual grasses that we all, unfortunately, recognize. I did want to point out several tips that help recognize these species throughout the year. These annual grasses can be a single tiller, can form tight mats, or can be large individuals with several tillers. When they have seed heads, both fresh or dead, they can be easily identified. Notice that even the tiny individual above has seeds. Cheatgrass has a long shaggy ligule this is noticeably larger than bluebunch, crested or squirreltail. The leaf sheath has sporadic, long, thin hairs that are especially visible on adult plants. An entire plant may be covered in long hairs or may appear velvety. 18
medusahead Medusahead, like cheatgrass is easy to identify when in large patches, or when the seed heads are fully formed. Fortunately the seed heads are quick to form and persist throughout the grown season. Medusahead can form large individuals with many tillers, but unlike squirreltail, the seed heads do not break apart and tumble away. 19
Texture, Shape and Color: I just had a few final words on grass ID. I find that after learning what grasses are in an area I use their shape, color and texture to quickly survey a site. Here we can see the different colors and textures of medusahead and cheatgrass growing together. Below are three patches (left to right) of squirreltail, bluebunch and crested wheatgrass. They bunchgrass have their own distinct shape, texture and color that will be characteristic to each area you survey. Tips for Seedlings: I often find my self having to identify seedlings to evaluate the success of restoration or drilling projects. If you have 3 leaves or more, you will have a leaf collar that has the same characteristics as the adult plants. The photo on the left is crested wheatgrass with long, yellow auricles. If you can dig a few sample plants up, the seeds are often still attached to the seedlings. This example is also crested wheatgrass, but I find this technique especially useful with cheatgrass and medusahead. These two annual grasses have distinct seeds and awns that lend themselves to quick ID. Sometimes you can seed 20
Tips for Seedlings: Growth rates and phenology (life stage) can also be used to separate out species. Above are two examples. The circled seedling on the left is cheatgrass, that grows faster and more robust than the bluebunch seedling on the right. The picture below illustrates how crested wheatgrass often grows faster and more robust than the bluebunch seedlings surrounding it. Field ID Cheat- Sheet 21
Collecting in the Field: Whether you are collecting plant materials for a botanist to identify, for a permanent collection at you agency, or just to record the species found at a given project, you must: 1)Collect the entire plant, including roots, leaves and flowers. More than one example is helpful. 2) (if this is not possible, a glossy magazine inside a large plastic zip- bag can often buy you time) Helpful hints: *newspaper has anti- fungal properties and allows you to change blotters without disturbing the plant. *Post- it notes are helpful when arranging a plant to be pressed, they are paper and can help hold a plant in position. *Carrying a ruler is helpful when keying plants in the field. I have attached a 22
Collecting in the Field: 3)LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!!!!! Without a location description, date, and habitat information the plant collection is useless. Plants are will be difficult and the usefulness of that plant in a permanent collection is reduced. Above is an example of an herbarium label used around the world. 4) Mounting the Plants: Use common sense when selecting and using mounting materials. Try to find acid free mounting papers, folders and glues. Do not place the glue or tape over important structures, but make sure the plant is secure to the card. I have attached a list of on- line resources that go into great detail on how to collect different materials from the field, properly document plants, and how to store and organize a permanent collection. These are free WebPages and PDF documents. 23
Photographs (unless noted): Lori L. Ziegenhagen, USDA-ARS Eastern Oregon Ag Research Center 2005-2008 Botanical Illustrations: Citations Hitchcock, C.L. et. al. Vascular plants of the pacific northwest Part1: Vascular cryptograms, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. University of Washington Press, Seattle WA. 1984. Herbarium Illustrations & Online Resources: Vascular Specimen Mounting Guidelines for the Australian National Herbarium. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/herbarium/mounting/ mounting-guidelines.html http://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/herbariaandspecimens.html British Columbia Ministry of Forests. 1996. Techniques and procedures for collecting, preserving, processing, and storing botanical specimens. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work. Pap. 18/1996. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/wp/wp18.pdf Bean, A.R. (editor) (2006). Collecting and Preserving Plant Specimens, A Manual. Queensland Herbarium, Environmental Protection Agency Biodiversity Sciences unit, Brisbane. ISBN: 1-920928-06-5 http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications/p01811aa.pdf/ Collecting_and_preserving_plant_specimens_a_manual_version_3.pdf 24
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