Author

Brooke Cranfield

Caryopses

Grain

Culms

Mostly erect, sometimes compressed, (1-)3-6 dm tall, glabrous, some culms occasionally decumbent for lower 2-3 nodes.

Electronic links

Grass Manual on the Web generic and species treatment: http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/

The PLANTS Database species profile: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=STHI3

World Grass Species homepage: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/data/grasses-db.html

World Grass Species species treatment: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/data/grasses-db/www/imp09769.htm

Ecology

Marshy and exposed shores of streams, ponds, lakes, depressions in pine savannas and flatwoods, cypress-gum ponds, open floodplain woods, seepage areas, ditches. 

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Family

Poaceae (Gramineae) grass family

Flowering period

Flowering period June – October.

Geographic distribution

Mostly Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains, Va. to s. Fla., w. to Tex., Ark., Okla., Mo. ; New Mexico; also Mex. into South America.

Inflorescences

Panicles delicate, open, 5-20 cm long, about 1/2 as wide, the primary branches flexible, spreading to drooping, few and distant, secondary branches crowded filiform or capillary, naked basally or floriferous to the base. 

Leaves

Sheathes usually keeled and shorter than the internodes, may be somewhat compressed, glabrous to sparsely hispid below the throat, margins scarious or sparsely ciliate distally.
Ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, membranous, margin erose-ciliate.
Blades 6-20 cm x 2-5 mm, flat or folded, glabrous abaxially, mostly glabrous adaxially but sparsely pilose basally.

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Recognition factors

Best recognition factors: Delicate, drooping inflorescence branches; often purple glumes and sterile lemma in mature specimens; enlarged, endurate sterile palea.

References

Allen, C. M., D. A. Newman, and H. Winters. 2004. Grasses of Louisianna, 3rd edition.Allen's Native Ventures, LLC.,Pitkin, LA.

Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2002 onwards). World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval. http://www.kew.org/data/grasses–db.html. [accessed 05 December 2006; 15:30 GMT].

Freckmann, R. W. and M. G. Lelong. 2003. Steinchisma Raf. In: Flora of North America North of Mexico. Barkworth, M. E., K. M. Capels, S. Long, and M. B. Piep, editors. Vol. 25, part 2. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford. Also: Grass Manual on the Web: http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/.

Godfrey, R. K. and J. W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States, Monocotyledons. University of Georgia Press, Athens.

IPNI. 2004. The International Plant Names Index. http://www.ipni.org/index.html.

USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory,  Beltsville,  Maryland.

URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?433174 (04 December 2006)

USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 3 December 2006). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Rhizomes; stolons

With short, slender rhizomes.

Spikelets

Spikelets: mostly on short pedicels from secondary branches, 1.8-2.5 mm, lance-elliptic, initially somewhat compressed, ultimately expanding greatly.
Glumes: glumes and sterile lemma commonly partially or wholly purple at maturity.
Lower Glumes: 1/3-1/2 as long as the spikelets, usually 3(5)-veined, apically acute.
Lower floret sterile or staminate, often standing apart from the upper florets at maturity; lower paleas longer than the lower lemmas, greatly inflated at maturity, indurate.
Upper florets: fertile, ovoid or ellipsoid; 1.6-1.9 mm, dull-colored, minutely papillose, apex acute.
Upper Glumes: second glume nearly equaling the similar sterile lemma, 3-5 nerved, apically acute or short-acuminate.   

Synonyms

Panicum hians Ell.

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