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Info
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus etymology: Agrostis the ancient Greek name for herbacous plants in general, literallly "field / pasture". Its later use in plant names is reserved for grasses and there are many grass genera suffixed with Agrostis
Species etymology: sandwicensis = from the Sandwich islands (Hawaii)
Photosynthetic type: C3 (cool season)
Nativity: endemic
Map
Inflorescence
Plant
Spikelets
Landscape
Collar
Leaf
Description
Erect, cespitose perennials; culms solitary or a few clustered together, 15-30 cm tall, glabrous. Sheaths with margins overlapping, glabrous; ligule membranous, 2-3 mm long, margins erose, apex rounded to acute; blades linear, usually 5-10 cm long, 1-2 mm wide near base, scabrous, margins often becoming involute upon drying, apex acuminate. Inflorescences paniculate, terminal, cylindrical, 5-12 cm long, often not fully emergent from the subtending sheath, the branches stiffly ascending and closely appressed to the rachis, clothed with spikelets from apex to base, glabrous to densely scabrous; spikelets numerous, slightly laterally compressed, occurring only on upper 2/3 of branches, rachilla vestigial, apex modified into a set of bristles, callus laterally subtended by a small tuft of hairs on each side; glumes 2, often tinged purple, 3-4.5 mm long, unequal, entirely enclosing the floret, scabrous on and near the midrib, glabrous toward margins, second glume 0.5-1 mm shorter than first glume, distinctly keeled and scabrous, surface glabrous to distinctly scabrous, nerves obscure, apex acuminate; lemma chartaceous to membranous, 2-3 mm long, 7-nerved, the central nerve separating c.a. 1/3 above base as an awn, the awn 0.5-2.5 mm long, slightly geniculate, usually not exceeding apex of lemma, marginal nerves not always extending to apex, glabrous, scabrous on upper 1/2 of lemma where nerves are raised, callus subtended by a tuft of hairs on either side of base of lemma margin, apex rounded to acute, usually 4 nerves prolonged as short teeth, awn geniculate, 3-4 mm long, slightly scabrous; palea vestigial, present as a membranous flap ca. 0.5 mm long. Caryopsis brown, cylindrical, 1-1.5 mm long, 0.1-0.3 mm wide.
(Description source: O’Connor, P.J. 1990. Poaceae, pp. 1481–1604. In: Wagner W.L., Herbst D.R. & Sohmer S.H. (eds.)., Manual of the flowering plant of Hawaiʻi. Vol. 2. University of Hawaii Press & Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu )