Red lovegrass

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Red lovegrass

Red lovegrass habit

Red lovegrass

Red lovegrass spikelets

Red lovegrass

Red lovegrass inflorescence

Red lovegrass

Red lovegrass

Red Lovegrass

Red lovegrass inflorescence

Red lovegrass inflorescence

Red lovegrass habit

Morphology

Culm

Mostly erect, sometimes bent below, simple or branching, glabrous.

Blades

Rolled inward near tip, 2 to 12 inches long, less than 1/6 inch wide, nearly glabrous but often long-hairy on upper surface near base; tips long, narrow.

Sheath

Shorter or longer than internodes, nearly glabrous, tuft of long hairs at throat.

Ligule

Rings of very short hairs.

Inflorescence

Panicles, densely flowered, mostly 2 to 6 inches long, often reddish brown; main branches ascending, secondary branches pressed against axis, bearing irregularly arranged clusters of spikelets.

Spikelets

Numerous, short-stalked, 5-29 flowered, strongly flattened, 1/4 - 1/2 inch long, less than 1/6 inch wide, reddish; awns absent; glumes nearly equal, tips pointed; lemmas closely overlapping, prominent green nerves, tips pointed and spreading out.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry pastures, prairies, and waste ground, in sandy soils.

Distribution

Occurs in the west three quarters of Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

The Paiute used red lovegrass seeds as food.

Additional Notes