Herbaceous Plants, Lab 10: Grasses

Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’, blue grama grass ‘Blonde Ambition’, Poaceae

warm season grass, ,mustache shaped seed heads, shorter habit, doesn’t tolerate competition

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, feather reed grass ‘Karl Foerster’, Poaceae

sterile, no kernels or grains, fluffy seedless heads, tight, non flopping habit, cool season

Calamagrostis brachytricha, Korean feather reed grass, Poaceae

larger more feathery inflorescence than acutiflora, contains seeds, non native, warm season

Deschampsia cespitosa, tufted hair grass, Poaceae

thinner, sparse panicle inflorescence, dense clumping habit, cool season

Elymus hystrix, bottlebrush grass, Poaceae

spikey needle-like awns, greener foliage at the bottom, cool season

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, maiden grass ‘Morning Light’, Poaceae

tassle-like seed pods, 4-7’ tall in habit, warm season, wind dispersed, non native,

Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Skyracer’, tall purple moor grass ‘Skyracer’, Poaceae

sparse panicles, wide bladed foliage, foliage lower to the ground, non native, warm season

Panicum virgatum, switch grass, Poaceae

denser panicles, leaves go all the way up the stem, more branchlets

Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Moudry’, fountain grass ‘Moudry’, Poaceae

brownish purple color, fuzzy inflorescences like cattails, clumping habit, low to the ground

Schizachryium scoparium, little bluestem, Poaceae

blue-purple stems in ideal conditions, short bushy inflorescence, shorter than indian grass

Sorghastrum nutans, Indian grass, Poaceae

wheat-like inflorescence, broad foliage, 3-5’ tall, warm season, native

Tridens flavus, purpletop tridens, Poaceae

primarily basal leaves, drooping habit, sparse, food source for birds