White Grass: A Perennial Herbaceous Plant Thriving in Sunny Grasslands

March 15, 2024


White grass, a perennial herbaceous plant. 20-100cm tall. The rhizome is white, creeping horizontally, covered with scales. The stem is erect, cylindrical, smooth and hairless, with many old leaves and residual leaf sheaths at the base. The leaves are linear or lanceolate; the basal leaves are as long as the plant; the stem leaves are shorter, 3-8mm wide, brown leaf sheaths, hairless, or with short leaf margins and sheath mouths.


Original morphology: White grass, a perennial herbaceous plant. 20-100cm tall. The rhizome is white, creeping horizontally, covered with scales. The stem is erect, cylindrical, smooth and hairless, with many old leaves and residual leaf sheaths at the base. The leaves are linear or lanceolate; the basal leaves are as long as the plant; the stem leaves are shorter, 3-8mm wide, brown leaf sheaths, hairless, or with short leaf margins and sheath mouths. The inflorescence is a compact spike, cylindrical, 5-20cm long and 1-2.5cm wide; the spikelets are lanceolate or elongated, arranged in pairs on the inflorescence axis, with one spikelet having a longer stalk and the other spikelet having a shorter stalk; the flowers are bisexual, with 1 flower per spikelet, and the base is covered with white silky hairs; the two glumes are equal or the first glume is slightly shorter and narrower, with 3-4 veins, and the second glume is wider, with 4-6 veins; the glumes are membranous, hairless, the first outer glume is ovate-lanceolate, the inner glume is short, and the second outer glume is lanceolate, the same length as the inner glume; 2 stamens, yellow anthers, about 3mm long; 1 pistil, with a longer style, feather-like stigma. The nutlet is elliptical, dark brown, and the mature fruit cluster is covered with long white hairs. It blooms from May to June and fruits from June to July.

Ecological environment: White grass leaves grow on sunny dry grasslands along the road or on hillsides.

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