Wood Melick - Melica uniflora

Description

30 to 70 cm tall. Panicle 10 to 20 cm, spreading, very loose. Little branched, erect or nodding.

Similar Species

Siberian Melick (M altissimus) is popular in gardens, especially as var. 'Alba', and may naturalise; it is more robust and has larger spikelets.

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)

Sheaths with long bristle at apex on side opposite ligule.

Recording advice

Photograph the whole plant, in flower, or details of ligule if not in flower

Habitat

Open woodland in light shade, and preferring lighter soils; old woodland.

When to see it

Flowers in May and June.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Widespread and fairly frequent in woodland throughout much of Britain.

VC55 Status

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 29 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Wood Melick
Species group:
flowering plant
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
36
First record:
23/06/2012 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
04/06/2025 (Higgott, Mike)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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