Angiosperms: Monocotyledons

Poaceae
Grass Family

• Stem: perennial; tufted; 2’ to 3’ tall; smooth.
• Leaves: sheath smooth; ligule 1/4” long, of hairs; blade 6” to 9” by 3/16”, tapering to threadlike tip, prominent auricles at the base of the blade, smooth.
• Inflorescence: contracted, branching flower stalk (panicle); 4” to 6” long; developing within the sheath of the uppermost leaf and becoming more or less exposed with maturity.
• Spikelets: 3/16” long; with a single floret; glumes shorter than the lemma; flowering begins in mid-August.
• Fruits: grain 1/16” in diameter, round; the outer water-absorbent coating very thin; the dark embryo visible in the grain; grains begin falling from the spikelets in late September.
• Habitat: frequent in sandy or rocky soils, on prairies, and on roadsides; most common in southeastern and south-central Iowa, very uncommon in northwestern Iowa.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa