The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

narrow plumegrass

silver plumegrass

Habit Plants cespitose, rarely stoloniferous. Plants rhizomatous.
Culms

0.9-1.8 m;

nodes glabrous or with hairs to 0.5 mm.

1-2.5 m;

nodes hairy, occasionally glabrate, hairs 7-12 mm.

Sheaths

glabrous;

ligules 1-3 mm, with lateral lobes;

blades 18-60 cm long, 5-12 mm wide, glabrous.

mostly glabrous, ciliate distally;

auricles absent;

ligules 1-3 mm;

blades 30-60 cm long, 14-28 mm wide, glabrous at maturity.

Peduncles

30-40 cm, glabrous;

panicles 1-2.5 cm wide, linear;

lowest nodes glabrous or sparsely pilose;

rachises 10-35 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

primary branches 6-18 cm, appressed;

rame internodes 3-5 mm, glabrous.

40-60 cm, pilose;

panicles 3-10 cm wide, oblong to lanceolate;

rachises 15-34 cm, densely pilose;

lowest nodes glabrous or sparsely pilose;

primary branches 3-12 cm, appressed;

rame internodes 3-5 mm, pilose.

Pedicels

3-5 mm, glabrous.

2.5-4 mm, pilose.

Sessile

spikelets 7-10 mm long, 1.1-1.5 mm wide, brown.

spikelets 6-7 mm long, 1.1-1.4 mm wide, straw-colored;

callus hairs 9-14 mm, exceeding the spikelets, silvery or purple-tinged;

lower glumes 5-veined, smooth;

upper glumes 3-5-veined;

lower lemmas 4.8-5.6 mm, without veins or 1-veined;

upper lemmas 4-4.6 mm, 1-veined, bifid, teeth 1.8-2 mm, ciliate;

awns 14-20 mm, flattened and spirally coiled at the base;

lodicule veins not extending into hairlike projections;

anthers 2.

Callus

hairs absent or to 2 mm, shorter than the spikelets, straw-colored;

lower glumes scabrous, 5-veined;

lower lemmas 6-8 mm, 2-veined;

upper lemmas 0.9-1 times as long as the lower lemmas, 3-veined, entire;

awns 17-24 mm, terete, straight or curved at the base;

lodicule veins extending into hairlike projections;

anthers 2.

Pedicellate

spikelets similar to the sessile spikelets.

spikelets similar to the sessile spikelets, except frequently pilose.

2n

= 30.

= 30.

Saccharum baldwinii

Saccharum alopecuroides

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Saccharum baldwinii commonly grows in sandy, shaded river and stream bottoms. It occurs throughout the southeastern United States, but it is not as common as other members of the genus, and is rare or completely absent from higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Saccharum alopecuroides grows in damp woods, open areas, and field margins. It is restricted to the southeastern United States. It is rare or non-existent on the sandy coastal plain, and there are few specimens from southern Florida and the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. The combination of long rhizomes, long silvery callus hairs, and spirally coiled awns distinguish S. alopecuroides from all other species in the region.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 614. FNA vol. 25, p. 612.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Andropogoneae > Saccharum Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Andropogoneae > Saccharum
Sibling taxa
S. alopecuroides, S. bengalense, S. brevibarbe, S. coarctatum, S. giganteum, S. officinarum, S. ravennae, S. spontaneum
S. baldwinii, S. bengalense, S. brevibarbe, S. coarctatum, S. giganteum, S. officinarum, S. ravennae, S. spontaneum
Synonyms Erianthus strictus Erianthus alopecuroides
Name authority Spreng. (L.) Nutt.
Web links