Bothriochloa springfieldii
Bothriochloa longipaniculata
Springfield bluestem, Springfield's beardgrass
longspike beardgrass, longspike silver bluestem
30-80 cm, erect, unbranched;
nodes prominently bearded, hairs 3-7 mm, spreading, silvery-white.
60-150(200) cm tall, 2-4 mm thick, robust;
nodes glabrous or shortly hirsute.
mostly basal;
ligules 1-2.5 mm;
blades 5-30 cm long, 2-3(5) mm wide, flat to folded, glabrous or sparsely hispid adaxially, pilose near the throat.
cauline, evenly distributed, glabrous, dark green;
ligules 2.5-3 mm;
blades 12-20 cm long, (3)4-7 mm wide, flat to folded.
4-9 cm, oblong to fan-shaped;
rachises 1-5 cm, with 2-9 branches;
branches 4-8 cm, longer than the rachises, with 1(2) rames;
rame internodes with a membranous groove wider than the margins, margins densely white-villous, hairs 5-10 mm, obscuring the sessile spikelets.
9-20 cm, narrowly lanceolate, silvery-white or light tan;
rachises 7-15 cm, with numerous branches;
branches 3-5 cm, shorter than the rachises, erect, without axillary pulvini, with multiple rames;
rame internodes with a membranous groove wider than the margins, margins copiously hairy, hairs 3-8 mm, at least somewhat obscuring the spikelets.
spikelets 5.5-8.5 mm, lanceolate;
lower glumes densely short-pilose on the lower M, sometimes with a dorsal pit;
awns 18-26 mm;
anthers 1-1.5 mm.
spikelets (3)3.5-4.5 mm, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, shiny green, apices acute;
lower glumes hirtellous on the lower 1/2, hairs shorter than 0.8 mm, lacking a dorsal pit;
awns 9-14 mm;
anthers 1-2 mm.
spikelets 3.5-5.5 mm, sterile.
spikelets 1.8-2.8 mm, sterile.
= 120.
= 120.
Bothriochloa springfieldii
Bothriochloa longipaniculata
Bothriochloa springfieldii grows in rocky uplands, ravines, plains, sandy areas, and roadsides, from southern Utah to western Texas and Mexico at 900-2500 m. and, as a disjunct in northwest Louisiana. It differs from B. barbinodis in its less robust habit, narrower blades, longer nodal hairs, and fewer, more hairy panicle branches, and from B. edwardsiana in its pubescent nodes and wider, non-ciliate leaf blades.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Bothriochloa longipaniculata grows at 2-200 m, along roadsides and in fields, open woodlands, disturbed ground, and swales of the Gulf coastal prairie, often in heavy clay soil. Its range extends from southern Texas and Louisiana to northeastern Mexico and possibly Panama.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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