Species Detail Grasses

Plants - Liz Makings @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Schizachyrium sanguineum - crimson bluestem Synonyms: Andropogon semiberbis, Rottboellia sanguinea, Schizachyrium semiberbe and more see SEINET Other Common Names: crimson false bluestem, red autumn grass Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae


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Herbarium specimen Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC)	Seedhead Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Native Season: Warm Habitat Description: Found on rocky slopes and well drained soils. Plant Communities:Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland Elevation: 4000 - 5500 feet General Description Desc: A hardy, robust, tufted perennial grass. Although the seed heads are quite inconspicuous, the attractive feature of this grass is the beautiful red color the whole plant turns in autumn and carries on through winter. Identification Notes: Erect perennial; stems 15 to 48 inches long, branched sparingly at upper nodes; seedhead a single branch lined with sessile and stemmed spikelet pairs; sessile spikelet 2-flowered; upper lemmas are cleft for 2/3 of their length. Grass Type: Perennial bunchgrass Rhizomes: N Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N Bushy (highly branched): N Height with Seedheads: Greater than 36 inches Seedhead Structure: Branched - contracted Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: Jun - Oct Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Less than 1/4 inch Three Awns: N Awns Bent: N Flower and Seedhead Notes: Seedheads consist of a single branch that protrudes from the uppermost leaf sheath at maturity. Spikelets are grouped in pairs; one spikelet is attached directly to the seedhead and is fertile, the other is attached with a short stalk and is sterile. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: Y Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Flat Blade Notes: Blades are flat, 2-3/4 to 7-3/4 inches long and less than 1/4 inch wide. Leaf blades may be smooth or hairy and have a tuft of long hairs at the leaf bases. Sheath Hairy: N Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: Y Ligules: Membranous Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N Forage Value: Provides fair to good pasture when young.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer