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Morphology
- Culm
- Erect to decumbent at base, slender, smooth, firm, tufted, often rooting at lower nodes.
- Blades
- Erect or ascending, flat or folded, 4 to 16 inches long, 1/8 to 2/5 inch wide, smooth to rough, pale green.
- Sheath
- Closed to near summit, rough.
- Ligule
- Membranous, truncate, less than 1/6 inch long.
- Inflorescence
- Panicle, open, 4 to 10 inches long, pale green or purplish; branches numerous, slender, wavy, ascending at base, drooping at tip; lacking spikelets on lower 1/3.
- Spikelets
- Mostly crowded near tips of branches, 3-6-flowered, ovate or oblong, 1/10 to 1/6 inch long; glumes unequal, much shorter than adjoining florets; lemmas blunt, slightly rough, prominently 7-nerved.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Stream, pond and lake margins, moist meadows, open marshes, wet woods.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Practical Information
- Forage Value
- Some forage value but may occasionally contain cyanogenetic compounds.
Additional Notes
Comments
The name is in reference to Biblical manna. In Europe, mannagrass refers to several species of grass whose seeds are used to make flour.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae - Grass Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 20-56 inches
- Last Updated
- 2008-02-04
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July