Dichanthelium clandestinum
Dichanthelium ovale
deer-tongue grass, deer-tongue rosette-panicgrass, deertongue, panic clandestin
eggleaf rosette grass, stiff-leaf panicgrass, stiff-leaf rosette-panicgrass
50-140 cm, stout, pilose with papillose-based hairs to subglabrous;
fall phase branching from the mid- and upper culm nodes, with a few, nearly erect, elongate branches, sparsely rebranching, sheaths overlapping, concealing the secondary panicles;
nodes not swollen, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
15-60 cm, usually more than 1 mm thick, not delicate, mostly ascending or spreading, often decumbent;
nodes densely to sparsely bearded with spreading, retrorse, or appressed hairs;
internodes, particularly the lower internodes, usually long-hairy with appressed or ascending hairs, occasionally with spreading hairs, occasionally with shorter hairs, rarely nearly glabrous;
fall phase with decumbent to prostrate culms, branching developing early and forming dense fascicles with erect, slightly reduced blades and greatly reduced secondary panicles.
5-10;
sheaths not overlapping, striate-ribbed, narrowing above midlength, hispid to sparsely hirsute, hairs sometimes papillose-based, summits mottled with pale spots, margins ciliate, collars puberulent;
ligules 0.4-0.9 mm, membranous;
blades 10-25 cm long, 15-30 mm wide, flat, lanceolate, often rigid, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, with 9-13 major veins and 40-80 minor veins, bases cordate, with papillose-based cilia, apices acuminate.
4-7;
sheaths shorter than the internodes, pilose, hairs to 4 mm, occasionally with shorter, spreading hairs underneath;
ligules and pseudoligules 1-5 mm, of hairs;
blades 4-10 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, relatively firm, mostly ascending or spreading, 1 or both surfaces sparsely to densely pubescent with appressed or erect hairs, hairs to 5 mm, bases rounded or slightly narrowed, margins often whitish, ciliate basally, scabridulous elsewhere.
2.4-3.6 mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm wide, narrowly ellipsoid, sparsely pubescent.
1.8-3 mm, ellipsoid or obovoid, densely to sparsely pilose or papillose-pilose, obtuse or slightly acute.
1/3 – 1/2 as long as the spikelets, narrowly triangular;
upper glumes and lower florets slightly shorter than the spikelets, with 7 or 9 prominent veins;
lower florets sterile;
upper florets umbonate, apices with a minute tuft of hairs.
1/3 – 1/2 as long as the spikelets, often triangular, not strongly veined, usually acute or subacute;
upper glumes usually slightly shorter than the lower lemmas and upper florets at maturity, not strongly veined;
lower florets sterile;
upper florets 1.6-2.5 mm, ellipsoid (slightly less than 1/2 as wide as long, or wider in subsp. praecocius), subacute.
rosettes well-differentiated;
sheaths pubescent;
blades ovate to lanceolate.
rosettes well-differentiated;
blades 1-8 cm, lanceolate, often conspicuously ciliate.
panicles 8-16 cm long, 4-12 mm wide, exserted, with many spikelets.
panicles 3-10 cm long, nearly as wide when fully expanded;
rachises and branches often stiffly ascending or spreading, usually pilose basally.
= 36.
=18.
Dichanthelium clandestinum
Dichanthelium ovale
Dichanthelium clandestinum usually grows in semi-open areas in damp or sandy woodlands, thickets, or on banks. It is restricted to the eastern part of the Flora region. The primary panicles are open-pollinated for a brief period, and produced from late May to early July; the secondary panicles, which are cleistogamous and usually concealed within the sheaths, are produced from July through September.
Panicum recognitum Fernald refers to rare sterile hybrids with Dichanthelium dichotomum and perhaps D. scoparium; P. aculeatum Hitchc. & Chase to putative sterile hybrids with D. scabriusculum or D. dichotomum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Dichanthelium ovale grows in dry, open, sandy or rocky woodland borders, sand barrens, dunes, and dry prairies in southeastern Canada, the eastern United States, the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America. The four subspecies often intergrade, especially subsp. villosissimum and subsp. pseudopubescens in the southeastern United States, and subsp. villosissimum and subsp. praecocius in the western part of their range.
The growth form and certain morphological features of Dichanthelium ovale resemble those of the widespread D. laxiflorum, which usually grows in more mesic habitats. Occasional specimens exhibit traits of D. acuminatum, D. oligosanthes, and D. commutatum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Lower sheaths and lower culm internodes with soft, spreading or retrorse, papillose-based hairs, the longer hairs often longer than 4 mm long; spikelets 1.8-2.5 mm long. | → 2 |
2. Spikelets 2.1-2.5 mm long; culms usually more than 1 mm thick, stiff; largest blades usually 6-10 mm wide | subsp. villosissimum |
2. Spikelets 1.8-2.1 mm long; culms usually less than 1 mm thick, wiry; largest blades usually 2-6 mm wide | subsp. praecocius |
1. Lower sheaths and lower culm internodes with ascending or appressed, non-papillose-based hairs shorter than 4 mm or nearly glabrous; spikelets 2.1-3 mm long. | → 2 |
3. Spikelets 2.5-3 mm long; basal blades with long hairs on or near the margins and bases | subsp. ovale |
3. Spikelets 2.1-2.6 mm long; basal blades usually without long hairs on or near the margins and bases | subsp. pseudopubescens |
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