Windmill grass
Chloris verticillata Nutt.
Images
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Morphology
- Culm
- Decumbent and sharply bent below, erect above, flat, solid, glabrous.
- Blades
- Crowded at base of stem, folded, 1/2 to 5 inches long, less than 1/6 inch wide, light green, glabrous or rough, keeled toward base; tips abruptly pointed.
- Sheath
- Shorter than internodes, 2-ranked, loose, flattened, keeled, glabrous.
- Ligule
- Small, fringed membranes with long hairs behind and at margins.
- Inflorescence
- Panicles; branches 6-20, spike-like, 2 to 4.5 inches long, often in 1-3 whorls, widely spreading.
- Spikelets
- Widely spaced in 2 rows on 1 side of each branch, flattened; florets 1 perfect, 1 rudimentary; glumes unequal; fertile lemma keeled, awn to 1/3 inch long.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Waste areas, prairies, pastures, lawns, and roadsides.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas
Practical Information
- Forage Value
- Cattle will not graze it.
Additional Notes
Comments
Tufted. Windmill grass is a weedy species that can be a problem in lawns. At maturity, the inflorescences break away and blow in the wind.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae - Grass Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 4-16 inches
- Last Updated
- 2018-02-24
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July, August, September