Plants annual. Culms 6-27 cm. Ligules 0.3-1.1 mm, of hairs;
blades 3-15 cm long, 0.3-1.5 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous or scabrous,
adaxial surfaces scabrous, sparsely long-pubescent near the ligules. Panicles
1-6(7.5) cm. Spikelets 4.5-7 mm. Lower glumes 4-5.2 mm, exceeded
by the distal florets; upper glumes 4-5.3 mm; lemmas 1.5-2(2.5)
mm, with sparse, appressed pubescence between the veins, or glabrous and with
spreading hairs on the margins, lobes as wide as or wider than long, acute to
obtuse; paleas 1.7-2.2(2.6) mm, those of the lower florets in the spikelets
as long as or longer than the lemmas; anthers 0.2-0.4 mm. Caryopses
0.6-0.8 mm. 2n = 12.
Schismus barbatus is native to Eurasia, but it is now established in
the southwestern United States. It grows in sandy, disturbed sites along roadsides
and fields and in dry riverbeds.
FNA 2003, Gould 1980
Common Name: common Mediterranean grass Duration: Annual Nativity: Non-Native Lifeform: Graminoid General: Low tufted annual grass, 10-20 cm tall, glabrous, erect to spreading or semiprostrate. Vegetative: Leaves mostly basal; blades soft, bright green, narrow, 3-15 cm long, to 1.5 mm wide; sheath with membranous border above, often broad and truncate at apex; ligule a ring of short and long hairs. Inflorescence: Terminal, dense, compact panicles, 1-6 cm long; spikelets 5-7 mm long, 5-7 flowered; glumes 2.5-4.5 mm long, acute or acuminate, with hyaline margins; lemma five-nerved, with a shallow or minute apical notch, pubescent between the veins or glabrous and with spreading hairs on the margins; palea about as long as lemma. Disarticulation initially above the glumes, the glumes and pedicels sometimes falling together later. Ecology: Found on dry open ground, often in disturbed soil below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers January-May. Distribution: Native to Eurasia; introduced throughout the world; in N. Amer. it is found in the southwestern states, CA, s NV, s UT, AZ, s NM, sw TX; south to c MEX. Notes: A small, low-growing, introduced annual bunchgrass distinguished by its growth form of often hugging the ground; spikelets of multiple florets; the lemmas possessing long, soft hairs, a rounded apex with two acute lobes, and semi-clear margins and tips. Distinguished from S. arabicus by its glumes which are shorter than the total spikelet length; lemma lobes wider than they are long; and paleas as long as the lemmas. S. arabicus has glumes which exceed the last floret; lemma lobes longer than they are wide; and paleas shorter than the lemmas. The two species are thought to intergrade. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Schismus is from Greek schismos, cleaving, referring to the split lemma; barbatus means bearded, referring to the hairy lemmas. Synonyms: Festuca barbata, Schismus calycinus Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015, AHazelton 2015