Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Eragrostis brizoides, E. cognata, E. delicatula, E. diffusa var. diffusa, E. nuttalliana, E. pennsylvanica and more see SEINET.
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Found in sandy soils of stream courses and in other disturbed soils.
Plant Community
Riparian
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
4500
High elevation
6000
Similar species
Eragrostis mexicana
General Description
Tufted annual grass with erect to geniculate stems; branching at base and above; the only hairs a tuft of white hairs at the apex of the sheath; lacking a groove in the fruit.
Tufted annual grass; erect or spreading, 4 to 32 inches tall, collar typically very hairy. Spikelets very narrow, appressed. Blades mostly flat, may be rolled along the edge, 1 to 6 inches long, 1/8 to 1/6 inch wide, mostly smooth on both surfaces.
Grass type
Annual
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
Yes
Bushy - highly branched
Yes
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
November
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Absent
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedhead is terminal, branched, usually open, rising above upper leaves, 2 to 10 inches long, 1 to 6 inches wide, egg-shaped to pyramidal, with 1 to 3-inch long primary branches that are solitary or paired on the lowest two nodes.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Flat to curled, hairless and smooth, 1/4 to 8 inches long.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
Yes
Ligule
Hairy
Auricles
No
Not available.