Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Lepturus paniculatus, Muhlenbergia paniculata, Schedonnardus texanus
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Open valleys and mesas and disturbed areas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
7000
General Description
Low tufted bunchgrass that branches at the base. Seedhead is 1/2 or more of the total plant height, curved, rigid, with several very slender, widely divergent branches.
Tufted perennial, stiff, slender stems. Leaves are mostly basal, flat, wavy or spirally twisted. One-flowered spikelets are directly attached in two rows to the seedhead stem. Seedhead matures to a loose spiral which breaks off and rolls with the wind.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
Yes
Height with Seedheads
12 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
September
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedhead rigid, several slender, divergent branches. Spikelets alternate on opposite sides of the branches. The whole seedhead forms a loose spiral, breaking off and rolling in the wind.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Involute – rolled inward on upper surface
Blades 3/4 to 2 inches long, thin and twisted in a spiral upon drying.
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Poor to worthless for livestock and wildlife.