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Plants
Walker Basin Allotment


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Sorghastrum nutans - Indiangrass

Synonyms: Andropogon nutans, Sorghastrum avenaceum
Plant Form: Grass

Family: Poaceae


   
 
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Plants
Walker Basin Allotment
John Kava
Plants
Walker Basin Allotment
John Kava
Ligule and blade
Walker Basin Allotment
John Kava
Ligule and auricle
Walker Basin Allotment
John Kava
Ligule and auricle
Walker Basin Allotment
John Kava
Seedheads
Walker Basin Allotment
John Kava
  Grass Description -   Glossary of Grass Terminology


Origin: Native    Season: Warm
Habitat Description: Dry slopes to moist canyons, wide range of habitats, pine forests at medium altitudes, prairies to woodlands, savannahs, and scrubland vegetation, infrequent in Arizona. Moderately salt tolerant. Often found in areas of adequate moisture.
Plant Communities:Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest, Riparian
Elevation: 2500 - 6500 feet


General Description

Desc: Slender, tall and rhizomatous perennial; erect slender seedhead stems emerge from short, stout and scaly rhizomes; seedhead is often golden.
Identification Notes: Tall, robust perennial, stout, scaly rhizomes; leaves long and flat; ligules and collar are hairy; thick, pointed auricles; seedhead yellowish with gray branches; spikelets paired, one sterile and stemmed, one fertile and sessile with twisted bent awns.
Grass Type: Perennial bunchgrass  Rhizomes: Y  Stolons: N
Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N  Bushy (highly branched): N
Height with Seedheads: Greater than 36 inches
Seedhead Structure: Branched - open and spreading  Seedhead Droops: N
Flowering Period: Jul - Oct
Flower Characteristics

Number of Flowers per Spikelet: One-flowered  Spikelets One-sided: N
Awns: 1/4 inch to 1 inch   Three Awns: N  Awns Bent: Y
Flower and Seedhead Notes: Much-branched seedhead that contracts at maturity, yellowish or tawny. Fertile lemma with a twisted, once or twice-bent awn 1/2 to 1 inch long.
Vegetative Charcteristics

Blade Hairy: N    Blade with White Margins: N    Blade Cross section: Flat
Blade Notes: Blades up to 28 inches long, to 1/4 inch wide, usually smooth, midvein conspicuous on back of leaf.
Sheath Hairy: N    Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: N    Ligules: Membranous
Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: Y

Forage Value: Excellent, palatable to cattle and horses, does not cure well, only moderately palatable after maturity and fair winter forage.


  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  
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