Burke: Panicum virgatum vs. Panicum capillare

	Panicum virgatum	Panicum capillare
		witchgrass
Habit		Annual, branching from the base, the culms erect to decumbent, 2-7 dm. tall, copiously covered with soft hairs 2-4 mm. long.
Leaves		Sheaths open; articulation below the glumes; ligules composed of straight hairs 1.5-2 mm. long; blades 5-12 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.

	Panicum virgatum	Panicum capillare
Flowering time	July-September	June-September
Habitat	Roadsides, fields, and other disturbed areas.	Moist and irrigated areas, along streams and around ponds.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; occurring in scattered locations near Portland, OR and Boise, ID, otherwise east of the Rocky Mountains in central and eastern North America, where native. [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	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	P. capillare, P. dichotomiflorum, P. miliaceum	P. dichotomiflorum, P. miliaceum
Subordinate taxa		P. capillare ssp. capillare
Web links	Local floras: OR 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	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

Panicum capillare

witchgrass

Habit

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

Leaves

Sheaths open; articulation below the glumes;

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

blades 5-12 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.

Panicum virgatum

Panicum capillare

Flowering time

July-September

June-September

Habitat

Roadsides, fields, and other disturbed areas.

Moist and irrigated areas, along streams and around ponds.

Distribution

Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; occurring in scattered locations near Portland, OR and Boise, ID, otherwise east of the Rocky Mountains in central and eastern North America, where native.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]