Prairie wedgegrass

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Prairie wedgegrass inflorescence

Prairie wedgegrass inflorescence

Prairie wedgegrass

Prairie wedgegrass habit

Prairie wedgegrass inflorescence

Prairie wedgegrass leaves

Prairie wedgegrass habit

Morphology

Culm

Tufted. Culms erect or ascending, glabrous.

Blades

Leaves basal and cauline; blades linear, 2--6 inches long, to 1/3 inch wide, flat, pubescent or rough.

Sheath

Sheaths shorter than internodes, cylindric, open, pubescent or glabrous.

Ligule

Membrane, to 1/8 inch, margin jagged, minutely hairy.

Inflorescence

Panicles, pale green, usually erect, 2--8 inches long, contracted; branches ascending.

Spikelets

Spikelets densely arranged, to 1/8 inch long, shiny; on pedicels; florets 2, awnless; rachilla extending beyond floret base as bristle; lower glume narrow, to 1/3 as wide as upper; upper glume obovate, tip rounded; lemmas oblong-elliptic, tip bluntly to sharply pointed.

Ecology

Habitat

Prairies, pastures, meadows, marshes, open woods, stream banks, pond margins, waste places; moist soils.

Distribution

Statewide

Practical Information

Forage Value

Provides good forage for cattle and horses, fair for sheep. Prairie wedgegrass makes good hay when harvested early.