OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sorghastrum nutans   FAMILY Poaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sorghastrum nutans   FAMILY Poaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)

Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-89-001:

Sorghastrum nutans   FAMILY Poaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)

Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Sorghastrum nutans

 

COMMON NAME:
Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_sonu2_001_lvd

        

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950    pnd_sonu2_007_lvd

        

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    s080519_abc

May    Greenville County    SC

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm140624_305

June    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Culms 1-2.5m tall from short, scaly rhizomes, per Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950).

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm210624_1557

June    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm210624_1592

June    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm210818_2822

August    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm080925_002

September    Greenville County    SC

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm080925_006

September    Greenville County    SC

The prominent anthers are golden yellow, per How to Know the Grasses: Pictured Key Nature Series (Pohl, 1954).

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_sorghastrum_nutans_5

September        

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm071027_009

October    Greenwood County    SC

Roadside

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm081026_007

October    Oconee County    SC

Utility right-of-way

Note auricled sheaths and narrow flat blades, per Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950).

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm231024_6254

October    Pickens County    SC

Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve

Spikelets 6-8 mm long, lanceolate, hirsute, the awns 10-15 mm long, per Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950).

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm0311g_16

November    Chester County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm0411c_13

November    Haywood County    NC

Roadside

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm061112_106

November    Union County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District

The state native grass of South Carolina.

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm081101_022

November    Greenwood County    SC

Roadside


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE fruit of Indiangrass species

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    jkm091107_006

November    Greenwood County    SC

Roadside

image of Sorghastrum nutans, Yellow Indiangrass, Prairie Indiangrass

JK Marlow    s031116_a

November    Chester County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sorghastrum nutans   FAMILY Poaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sorghastrum nutans   FAMILY Poaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-89-001:
Sorghastrum nutans   FAMILY Poaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sorghastrum nutans

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sorghastrum nutans

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1444

Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial

Habitat: Xeric and mesic woodlands and forests of a wide variety, prairies, barrens, powerline rights-of-way, roadbanks, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly low alternate, 2-ranked

FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Panicle yellowish

Inflorescence a panicle of racemes

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Grain reddish
Grain

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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