Plants annual; tufted. Culms 10-75 cm, erect, puberulent below the nodes; nodes glabrous. Leaves mostly on the lower 1/2 of the culm; sheaths open, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; ligules hyaline, acute or obtuse, usually lacerate; blades flat initially, involute with age. Inflorescences open or contracted panicles, the spikelets borne near the ends of the branches on clavate pedicels. Spikelets laterally compressed, with 2-10 florets; disarticulation above the first florets and between the distal florets; rachillas prolonged beyond the uppermost floret, sometimes terminating in a reduced floret. Glumes unequal, lanceolate, hispidulous, similar in texture to the lemmas, margins scarious, apices acuminate; lower glumes 3-7-veined; upper glumes 3-9-veined; calluses of the lower florets shorter than those of the upper florets, almost glabrous, calluses of the upper florets with a dense tuft of white hairs; lemmaslanceolate, chartaceous, 5-veined, margins scarious, apices entire or bifid, awned or unawned; lowest lemmas with a straight, terminal awn or unawned; distal lemmas with a dorsal, geniculate awn; paleas shorter than the lemmas, membranous, keels ciliate distally; lodicules 2, membranous, glabrous, toothed or not toothed; anthers 3; ovaries glabrous. Caryopses glabrous; hila short. x = 7. Named for Etienne Pierre Ventenat (1757-1808), a French clergyman, librarian, and botanist.
Ventenata is native from central and southern Europe and north Africa to Iran. It has five species, all of which grow in dry, open habitats. It is closely related to Trisetaria Forssk., Trisetum, and Koeleria. Only one species has been established in the Flora region.
SELECTED REFERENCESChambers, K.L. 1985. Pitfalls in identifying Ventenata dubia (Poaceae). Madroño 32:120-121; Old, R.R. and R.H. Callihan. 1986. Distribution of Ventenata dubia in Idaho. Idaho Weed Control Rep. 1986:153.