Smith's melic grass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smith's melic grass |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Melica
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| Species: |
smithii
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Melica smithii is a type of grass often called Smith's melic grass. This grass grows in parts of Canada and the United States. You can find it in Canadian provinces like Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. In the US, it grows in states such as Idaho, Michigan, Montana, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The grass is named after a person named Charles Eastwick Smith.
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What Does Smith's Melic Grass Look Like?
This grass has rough leaf-sheaths and loose leaves. Both the leaf-sheaths and the leaves can be about 10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) long. They are also about 6 to 12 millimeters (0.2 to 0.5 inches) wide.
Flowers and Spikelets
The plant has a flower cluster called a panicle. This panicle can grow to be 12 to 25 centimeters (5 to 10 inches) long. It has single branches that are spread out and do not have leaves. Sometimes, these branches can bend back about 10 centimeters (4 inches). The small flower clusters, called spikelets, are purple. Each spikelet is about 18 to 20 millimeters (0.7 to 0.8 inches) long. They usually contain 3 to 6 individual flowers.
Where Does Smith's Melic Grass Grow?
You can find Smith's melic grass in deciduous forests. These are forests where trees lose their leaves in the fall. It often grows among trees like beech, maple, and hemlock trees.
Is Smith's Melic Grass in Danger?
In the state of Wisconsin, Smith's melic grass is considered an endangered species. This means there are very few of these plants left in Wisconsin. It also means they are at risk of disappearing completely from that area.
