Grass Description
A common and widespread weed of crops, orchards, vineyards, roadsides, and riparian areas. Listed as invasive in most areas.
General Description
Densely tufted clumps with rhizomes and stolons. Erect stems are infrequently branched, cylindrical, slightly flattened at the base and streaked with white wax at the nodes and internodes. Nodes are usually also densely hairy.
Light green, large bunches from stout rhizomes up to 12 feet tall; stem nodes densely hairy; seedhead of ascending, spreading branches up to 2 feet long, branchlets short, bearing clustered awnless spikelets, noticeably unequal glumes; ¼ inch ligules.
Flower Characteristics
Seedhead is up to 12 inches long and usually highly branched. Branches are ascending to spreading, the lowest are arranged in a whorl. Spikelets are 2-flowered with one sterile and one fertile floret. Spikelets are brick red when mature.
Vegetative Characteristics
Smooth leaf blades are 5 to 15 inches long, 1/2 to 1-1/4 inches wide and taper to a sharp point. Leaves are light green, green or bluish-green.
This is a fast growing and leafy grass which is palatable to livestock with good nutritional value.