Burke: Panicum capillare vs. Panicum miliaceum

	Panicum capillare	Panicum miliaceum
	witchgrass	millet
Habit	Annual, branching from the base, the culms erect to decumbent, 2-7 dm. tall, copiously covered with soft hairs 2-4 mm. long.	Annual, the culms up to 1 m. tall, covered with hairs 2-5 mm. long from little blisters.
Leaves	Sheaths open; articulation below the glumes; ligules composed of straight hairs 1.5-2 mm. long; blades 5-12 mm. broad.	Sheaths open; articulation below the glumes; ligules composed of straight hairs about 2 mm. long; blades 7-15 mm. broad.
Flowers	Inflorescence a diffusely-branched panicle 1-3 dm. long. often partially included in the uppermost sheath; spikelets 2-flowered, 2.5-3 mm. long; first glume 3-nerved, half as long and the spikelet; second glume 7-nerved, about as long as the lower lemma, which is sterile and 9-nerved, both well exceeding and enclosing the fertile lemma and palea.	Inflorescence a somewhat congested panicle 10-30 cm. long, the branches erect, scabrous; spikelets 2-flowered, about 4.5 mm. long; glumes strongly nerved, glabrous, acuminate, the first 2-3 mm. long, 7-nerved, the second 11-nerved, equal to the sterile first lemma, which is 9- to 11-nerved; palea of sterile flower membranous, bi-lobed, 1.5 mm. long; hardened, fertile upper lemma and palea enclosed by the second glume and sterile lemma.

	Panicum capillare	Panicum miliaceum
Flowering time	June-September	July-September
Habitat	Moist and irrigated areas, along streams and around ponds.	Abandoned fields, roadsides, waste ground.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Introduced from Asia
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	P. dichotomiflorum, P. miliaceum	P. capillare, P. dichotomiflorum
Subordinate taxa	P. capillare ssp. capillare	P. miliaceum ssp. miliaceum, P. miliaceum ssp. ruderale
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Panicum miliaceum

witchgrass

millet

Habit

Annual, branching from the base, the culms erect to decumbent, 2-7 dm. tall, copiously covered with soft hairs 2-4 mm. long.

Annual, the culms up to 1 m. tall, covered with hairs 2-5 mm. long from little blisters.

Leaves

Sheaths open; articulation below the glumes;

ligules composed of straight hairs 1.5-2 mm. long;

blades 5-12 mm. broad.

Sheaths open; articulation below the glumes;

ligules composed of straight hairs about 2 mm. long;

blades 7-15 mm. broad.

Flowers

Inflorescence a diffusely-branched panicle 1-3 dm. long. often partially included in the uppermost sheath;

spikelets 2-flowered, 2.5-3 mm. long; first glume 3-nerved, half as long and the spikelet; second glume 7-nerved, about as long as the lower lemma, which is sterile and 9-nerved, both well exceeding and enclosing the fertile lemma and palea.

Inflorescence a somewhat congested panicle 10-30 cm. long, the branches erect, scabrous;

spikelets 2-flowered, about 4.5 mm. long;

glumes strongly nerved, glabrous, acuminate, the first 2-3 mm. long, 7-nerved, the second 11-nerved, equal to the sterile first lemma, which is 9- to 11-nerved;

palea of sterile flower membranous, bi-lobed, 1.5 mm. long; hardened, fertile upper lemma and palea enclosed by the second glume and sterile lemma.