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Prairie dropseed

Sporobolus heterolepis (A. Gray) A. Gray

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Prairie dropseed blade
Prairie dropseed blades
Prairie dropseed inflorescence
Prairie dropseed inflorescence
Prairie dropseed habit
Prairie dropseed

Morphology

Culm
Erect, slender, wiry, glabrous.
Blades
Basal and cauline; blades 8 to 16 inches long, .2 inch wide, filiform to involute to folded, tip tapering, glabrous, scabrous margins and midrib.
Sheath
Longer than internodes, terete, throat somewhat pilose, summit with conspicuous tufts of hair.
Ligule
Line of minute hairs
Inflorescence
Panicle, open, elliptical to narrowly pyramidal, 4.5 to 8 inches long, up to 2.8 inches wide, branches ascending, 1.2 to 2.4 inches long, spikelets borne toward branch tips on short pedicels.
Spikelets
Grayish, 1-flowered, .16 to .28 inch long, awnless; glumes glabrous, first glume subulate, .07 to .18 inch long, second glume lanceolate, .1 to .24 inch long, acuminate or awn-pointed; lemmas .13 to .16 inch, obtuse or acute, 1-veined, glabrous; paleas as along as or slightly longer than lemmas.

Ecology

Habitat
Prairies, roadsides, woodland edges; sandy to clay loam soils.
Distribution
East 1/2 of Kansas

Practical Information

Forage Value
Good forage value for livestock prior to maturity.
Uses
The Ojibwa applied a poultice of crushed root to sores.

Additional Notes

Comments

Densely tufted. Occasionally planted as an ornamental.

Quick Facts
Plant Type
Grass
Family
Poaceae - Grass Family
Life Span
Perennial
Height
16-34 inches
Origin
Native
Last Updated
2019-02-26
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: August, September