Mucronate sprangletop

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Mucronate sprangletop

Mucronate sprangletop leaves

Mucronate sprangletop spikelets

Mucronate sprangletop

Mucronate sprangletop

Mucronate sprangletop

Mucronate sprangletop inflorescence

Mucronate sprangletop

Mucronate sprangletop inflorescence

Morphology

Culm

Tufted; culms erect or ascending from spreading bases, slender, glabrous, branching.

Blades

Flat, thin, lax, 1.6 to 10 inches long, 1/8 to 2/5 inch wide, base narrowed, margins rough, sparsely pubescent, at least near base, conspicuous whitish midrib on larger blades.

Sheath

Shorter than internodes, back rounded or slightly keeled, glabrous to pubescent with papillose-based hairs.

Ligule

Membranous, lacerated, .02 to .1 inch.

Inflorescence

Panicle, often purplish or reddish, 4 to 16 inches, 10-100-branched; branches ascending to erect,, 2 to 7 inches long.

Spikelets

Green, magenta or maroon, sessile in 2 rows, 2-4-flowered, .06 to .15 inch, somewhat flattened; glumes membraneous, with 1 scabrous nerve, 1/25 to 1/8 inch, tips sharply pointed or tapered to minute awn; lower glume linear to lanceolate; upper glume elliptic-ovate; lemmas oblong-ovate, .04 to .06 inch, tips usually rounded or truncate, sometimes notched, awnless, glabrous or slightly silky along veins.

Ecology

Habitat

River and stream banks, lake and pond margins, ditches, moist, open disturbed areas.

Distribution

Principally east 1/2 of Kansas; also Barton and Ford Counties

Synonyms

Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.