Angiosperms: Monocotyledons

Poaceae
Grass Family

• Stem: perennial; from underground stems; 3’ to 5’ tall; smooth.
• Leaves: sheath smooth, tuft of hairs at the top; ligule a fringe of hairs, 1/16” long; blade 8” to 2’ by 1/2”, smooth.
• Inflorescence: flower stalk branched, not spreading, often partially within the sheath of the upper leaf, 6” to 10” long.
• Spikelets: 1/8” long, upper glume longer than the lemma, a tuft of hairs at the base of the single floret; flowering from late July to mid-August.
• Fruits: 3/32” long; fruiting begins in early August; fruits begin dropping from glumes in mid-August.
• Habitat: infrequent on Loess Hills prairies, also in sandy soils along the Mississippi River in southeastern Iowa.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa