Sand dropseed

Images

Click on image to view full size

Sand dropseed inflorescence

Sand dropseed inflorescence

Sand dropseed

Sand dropseed collar hairs

Sand dropseed

Sand dropseed spikelets

Morphology

Culm

Erect or decumbent at bases, simple or branched below, flattened or grooved on 1 side, glabrous.

Blades

Flat or rolled inward, 2 to 10 inches long, to 1/4 inch wide, glabrous below, rough above; margins whitish; tips tapered to slender points.

Sheath

Open, glabrous or rough, collar with conspicuous tuft of long white hairs.

Ligule

Minute fringed membranes.

Inflorescence

Panicles, bases enclosed in upper sheaths or sometimes entirely enclosed in sheaths; exposed portion spreading at maturity; branches slender, scattered, to 3 inches long.

Spikelets

Short-stalked, crowded near ends of main branches, about 1/10 inch long, 1-flowered, pale purplish to lead gray; awns absent.

Ecology

Habitat

Open disturbed areas, pastures and roadsides, most abundant on sandy soils.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Sand dropseed is grazed by livestock during its early growth stages, but it becomes unpalatable with maturity. It has little forage value for wildlife, but some birds and small mammals eat the seeds.

Uses

The Apache, Navajo, and Hopi used the seeds to make bread.

Additional Notes