Utah Flora
BOT2100
Lecture 4
Monocots
Including:
Agavaceae
Liliaceae
Poaceae (Graminae)
Utah Flora
Monocots
BOT2100
Flowering plants with a ovary wall (carpels)
Corollas and calyx generally not distinguishable
sometimes bract-like
others petaloid, called tepals
Flower parts in 3’s
Leaves generally with parallel veins
A single cotyledon (1st leaf)
Utah Flora
Monocots
Major Families
Agavaceae – Agave, Yucca, sometimes included in
Liliaceae
Amaryllidaceae – Amaryllis, Narcissus
Commelinaceae – spiderworts
Cyperaceae – sedges
Iridaceae – Iris, Gladiolus
Juncaceae – rushes
Liliaceae – Lilies, onions
Poaceae – grasses
Typhaceae – cattails
BOT2100
Utah Flora
14 families
Asparagales
1,122 genera
BOT2100
26,070 species
Agavaceae
Worldwide
Utah
10 genera
340 species
3 genera
13 species
(Native and Introduced)
DNA analyses places this family within as expanded
Asparagaceae (Asparagus Family)
Utah Flora
Asparagales
Agavaceae
BOT2100
Agave
Worldwide
Utah
(Native)
210 species
1 species
•endemic to North, Central, and South America
•leaves spirally arranged
•ovary inferior
•perianth regular
•tepals fused (at least basally) and whitish to yellowish
•fruit a capsule
Utah Flora
Asparagales
Agavaceae
Agave utahensis
•restricted in Utah to Washington Co.
•inflorescence narrowly cylindric
(appears spicate)
•leaves armed with prominent teeth
copyright Stan Shebs, 2006
Stan Shebs, 2006
BOT2100
Utah Flora
Asparagales
Agavaceae
BOT2100
Yucca
Worldwide
Utah
(Native)
50 species
13 species
•endemic to North, Central, and South America
•leaves spirally arranged
•ovary superior
•perianth regular
•tepals seperate, fleshy, and whitish
•fruit a capsule
Utah Flora
Asparagales
Agavaceae
BOT2100
Yucca breviflora
•restricted in Utah to Washington Co.
•one of 2 tree-like Yucca species in Utah, all others are shrubs
•leaves less than 2.5 dm long
copyright UBC Botanic Garden
Utah Flora
Asparagales
Agavaceae
Yucca harrimaniae
•most widely distributed Yucca in Utah
•leaves concave on one side
•other species with leaves
flat on one side
BOT2100
Utah Flora
11 families
Liliales
67 genera
BOT2100
1,558 species
Liliaceae
Worldwide
19 genera
Utah
28 genera*
(Native or Introduced)
610 species
39 species
*The Utah flora recognizes many more genera in
Liliaceae than current DNA analyses support. These
genera have been split into their own families.
Utah Flora
Liliales
Liliaceae
BOT2100
Allium
Worldwide
Utah
(Native and introduced)
800 species
13 species
•perennial herbs, +/- scapose, with bulbs
•inflorescence umbellate
•perianth regular, all segments alike & petaloid
•tepals separate and whitish to pinkish
•ovary superior
•fruit a capsule
Utah Flora
Liliales
Liliaceae
Allium acuminatum
•widespread in Utah
•leaves 2 to 4, opposite
•bulbcoats with prominent, thick-
margined veins (reticulations)
BOT2100
Utah Flora
Liliales
Liliaceae
BOT2100
Calochortus
Worldwide
Utah
(Native)
60 species
8 species
•restricted to North and Central America
•perennial herbs with bulbs, stems leafy
•inflorescence generally solitary
•perianth regular,
•outer segments bract-like, inner segments petaloid
•tepals separate and whitish, yellowish, pinkish
•ovary superior
•fruit a capsule
Utah Flora
Liliales
Liliaceae
Calochortus nuttallii
•widespread in Utah
•stems erect
•perianth whitish to purplish
•hairy gland at base of tepals
BOT2100
Utah Flora
17 families
BOT2100
Poales
997 genera
18,325 species
Poaceae
Worldwide
Utah
668 genera
10,035 species
91 genera
203 species
(Native and Introduced)
3rd largest family in Utah
All members of this family have a bract-like perianth
(lemma and palea) and a caryopsis for fruit
Utah Flora
BOT2100
The Grass Leaf
Sheathing
•leaf blade forms a sheath as it
surrounds the stem
stem
blade
sheath
Utah Flora
BOT2100
The Grass Flower
4 Parts:
Glumes
•1st whorl (bract-like)
•2 glumes, subopposite
•alike or unlike one another
Lemma
•2nd whorl (bract-like)
•1 lemma
•different than palea
•may look similar to glumes
Palea
•3rd whorl (bract-like)
•1 palea
•often thin & papery
•enclosed inside lemma, mostly
outer husk=glumes
Utah Flora
Poales
Poaceae
BOT2100
Stipa
Achnatherum
Worldwide
Utah
(Native)
•spikelets pedicillate with a single floret
•spikelets disarticulating above the glumes
•glumes longer than the lemma
•lemmas with simple awns (not branched)
100 species
17 species
Utah Flora
Stipa comata
BOT2100
Poales
Poaceae
Hesperostipa comata
•one of the most widespread species of Stipa in Utah
•terminal awn 5 cm long or longer with hairs
less than 1 mm long
glumes
awned lemma
Utah Flora
BOT2100
Poales
Poaceae
Elymus
Agropyron
Worldwide
Utah
(Native and Introduced)
150 species
~18 species
•inflorescence a solitary, terminal spike
•spikelets 1-several at each node
•spikelets sessile with 1 to many florets
•spikelets with a disarticulating rachis
•disarticulating above the glumes, also
•glumes can be short-awned, lemmas awnless
Utah Flora
Elymus cinereus
Leymus cinereus
•widespread in Great Basin
•clump-forming perennials
(can have short rhizomes)
•inflorescence spicate
•spikelets 3-7 at a node
Poales
Poaceae
BOT2100
Utah Flora
Poales
Poaceae
BOT2100
Bromus
Worldwide
Utah
(Native and Introduced)
100 species
16 species
•spikelets pedicillate with 2 to many florets
•spikelets disarticulating above the glumes
•glumes longer than the lemma to shorter than the
lemma
•lemmas with simple awns (not branched)
Utah Flora
Poales
Poaceae
Bromus tectorum
•widespread exotic weed
•very flammable when dry, good tinder for
man-made wildfires
•awns of the lemma less than 13 mm
•panicles loosely flowered
BOT2100
Utah Flora
BOT2100
Poales
Poaceae
Phragmites
Worldwide
Utah
(Native)
3 species
1 species
•large, rhizomatous, wetland grasses (reeds)
•spikelets pedicillate with 2 to many florets
•spikelets disarticulating above the glumes
•glumes shorter than the lemma
Utah Flora
Poales
Poaceae
Phragmites australis
•widespread saline marsh grass
•inflorescence large
•branches drooping
Copyright Environment Canada
BOT2100
Utah Flora
BOT2100
Assignment
•Draw and label species provided in lab
•Make sure to label those morphological features that helped
you identify the sample (the characters in the key)
•Identify & label all samples to family and genus
•For Practice: use A Utah Flora to identify & label all samples to
species (other than any we determined in class together)