SAND LOVEGRASS
File Size: 151 KB
 
Eragrostis trichodes   (Nutt. ) Alph. Wood
Russell County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 2-5 feet
Family: Poaceae - Grass Family
Flowering Period:   August, September,October
Culms: Erect, simple, glabrous.
Blades: Mostly flat, slender, 6 to 20 inches long, to 1/3 inch wide, yellowish green, rough above, midrib prominent; tips tapered to points.
Sheaths: Overlapping, glabrous, collar with tufts of hairs.
Ligules: Inconspicuous rings of short hairs.
Inflorescences: Panicles, open, much-branched, 14 to 22 inches long, 3 to 12 inches wide, often about 1/2 height of plant, purplish or reddish; branches slender, erect or ascending; branch axils sparsely hairy.
Spikelets: Numerous, long-stalked, 3-13-flowered, less than 1/2 inch long, to 1/6 inch wide, pale purplish; awns absent; glumes and lemmas sharp pointed.
Habitat: Prairies, open woods, and disturbed areas, in sandy soils.
Distribution: Throughout Kansas.
Forage Value: Sand lovegrass provides excellent forage for livestock. It is sometimes called "ice cream grass" due to its high palatability.
Comments: Sand lovegrass is strongly tufted and has a deep, dense root system. It decreases under intense grazing.

Sand lovegrass inflorescence
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass spikelets
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass collar
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass
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Russell County, Kansas
Sand lovegrass
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Russell County, Kansas