University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Historical Materials from University of Nebraska- Extension Lincoln Extension 2005 EC05-170 Common Grasses of Nebraska : Prairies, Rangelands, Pasturelands James L. Stubbendieck University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Kay L. Kotas Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist Stubbendieck, James L. and Kotas, Kay L., "EC05-170 Common Grasses of Nebraska : Prairies, Rangelands, Pasturelands" (2005). Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. 4786. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist/4786 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Extension at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. prairies • rangelands • pasturelands James Stubbendieck, Professor of Grassland Ecology Kay L. Kottas, Ecological Research Specialist Department of Agronomy and Horticulture Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge Kate Lonergan-Orr for her many contributions to the preparation of this Extension Circular. Walter H. Schacht, Professor of Range Ecology, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is recognized for preparation of the descriptions of the ecological sites. Appreciation is expressed to the University of Nebraska Press for granting permission to use illustrations from Wildland Plants (2003) and to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture for permission to use illustrations from Weeds of the Great Plains (2003). Bellamy Jansen and Kelley Hayes are acknowledged for preparing the majority of the illustrations while employed by the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lisa Brown Jasa, Communications Associate, Communications and Information Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln was instrumental in transforming the manuscript into this publication. COMMON GRASSES OF prairies • rangelands • pasturelands James Stubbendieck, Professor of Grassland Ecology Kay L. Kottas, Ecological Research Specialist Department of Agronomy and Horticulture University of Nebraska-Lincoln © 2005, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska on behalf of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. All rights reserved. ~J .... JJJL ___ TABLE OF Introduction ..................................... 5 Annual Annual Prairie threeawn ................... 50 Japanese brome .................... 98 Plant Groups ..................................... 7 Field sandbur ....................... 50 Downy brome ...................... 99 Hairy crabgrass .................... 52 Goosegrass .......................... 100 Parts of a Grass Plant ....................... 7 Barnyardgrass ....................... 52 Little barley ........................ 101 Inflorescence Characteristics ....... 7 Stinkgrass ............................. 53 Annual bluegrass ................ 102 Vegetative Characteristics ............ 7 Bearded sprangletop ............ 54 Sixweeks fescue .................. 103 Witchgrass ............................ 55 Parts of a Grass-Like Plant ............... 7 Fall panicum ........................ 56 Reproductive Characteristics ....... 7 Yellow foxtail ........................ 57 Grass-Like Plants Vegetative Characteristics ............ 7 Bristly foxtail ........................ 58 Perennial Green foxtail... ...................... 59 Needleleaf sedge ................. 106 Poverty dropseed ................. 60 Threadleaf sedge ................ 106 Warm-Season Grasses Purple sandgrass .................. 61 Sun sedge ............................ 107 Perennial Nebraska sedge ................... 108 Big bluestem ......................... 16 Yellow nutsedge .................. 109 Sand bluestem ...................... 17 Cool-Season Grasses Field horsetail... .................. 110 Purple threeawn ................... 18 Perennial American bulrush .............. 111 Sideoats grama ..................... 19 Crested wheatgrass .............. 64 Blue grama ........................... 20 Redtop bent.. ........................ 65 Glossary......................................... 112 Hairy gram a ......................... 21 Creeping foxtail... ................. 66 Buffalo grass .......................... 22 Meadow brome .................... 67 Ecological Sites ............................. 118 Prairie sandreed ................... 24 Smooth brome ..................... 68 Windmillgrass ...................... 25 Bluejoint reedgrass .............. 69 Selected References ....................... 120 Bermudagrass ....................... 26 Orchardgrass ........................ 70 Inland saltgrass .................... 27 Canada wildrye .................... 71 Index ............................................ 121 Purple lovegrass ................... 28 Tall wheatgrass ..................... 72 Sand love grass ...................... 29 Squirreltail. ........................... 73 Plains muhly ........................ 30 Intermediate wheatgrass ...... 74 List of Figures Sandhill muhly ..................... 31 Quackgrass ........................... 7 5 Marsh muhly ........................ 32 Western wheatgrass .............. 76 Figure I. Map of Nebraska Switchgrass ........................... 3 3 Slender wheatgrass ............... 77 prairies ................................................ 6 Sand paspalum ..................... 34 Fowl mannagrass ................. 78 Figure 2. Illustration of a grass plant Common reed ...................... 35 Needleandthread .................. 79 with enlargements of a spikelet and Blowoutgrass ........................ 36 Porcupinegrass ..................... 80 blade-sheath junction ........................ 8 Tumblegrass ......................... 3 7 Foxtail barley ........................ 81 Figure 3A-C. Diagrammataic and Little bluestem ...................... 38 Prairie junegrass ................... 82 actual representations of grass inflo- Indian grass ........................... 39 Tall fescue ............................. 83 rescences ............................................. 9 Johnsongrass ........................ 40 Green needlegrass ................ 84 Figure 4. Ligule types, shapes, and Prairie cordgrass ................. .41 Scribner panicum ................ 85 margins ............................................. 12 Alkali sacaton ....................... 42 Wilcox panicum ................... 86 Figure 5. Inflorescenses and flowers of Tall dropseed ........................ 43 Reed canarygrass .................. 8 7 grass-like plants ................................ 13 Sand drop seed ..................... .44 Timothy ................................ 88 Figure 6. Diagram illustrating the Prairie drop seed ................... 45 Canada bluegrass ................. 89 position of ecological sites in relation Purpletop .............................. 46 Mutton bluegrass ................. 90 to one another and to topographic Eastern gamagrass ............... .47 Kentucky bluegrass .............. 91 features ........................................... 119 Sandberg bluegrass .............. 92 Russian wildrye .................... 93 Indian ricegrass .................... 94 © 2005, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved. remaining unplowed land is managed for use by domestic grazing animals. These rangelands occur on 23.1 million acres. Pasturelands are areas planted to single species or Sta~!!J,[!~! w~~~h~H!1!P~fr!~l~~!. Unit- mixtures of native or introduced grasses receiving more ed States of America more than 200 years ago. At the time intensive management (e.g., fertilizer and irrigation) and of the Louisiana Purchase ( 1803 ), prairie occupied over 46 g.razed by livestock. Haylands include both native vegeta­ million of the 49.5 million acres of what was to become tion and planted species that are harvested as hay and fed Nebraska. It was not a single type of prairie. Short grass to animals. Pasturelands and haylands (including alfalfa) prairies grew in what was to become the Panhandle (Fig­ are grown on about 3.7 million acres in Nebraska. Range­ ure 1), and tallgrass prairies were in the eastern one-third lands, pasturelands, and haylands cover 54% of the state. of the region. Between were mixed grass prairies in the loess hills south to the future Kansas border. The Sandhills Rangeland and pastureland grasses are the key com­ prairie occupied over one-fourth of the future state in the ponents of the forage system supporting the beef cattle north central region all of the way to the future border with industry in the state. Knowledge of the important grasses South Dakota. A small area of sandsage prairie, contain­ and grass-like plants making up these renewable natural ing many of the same species of grass as in the Sandhills, resources is important to those managing the land. The occurred in the southwest corner of the future state. The ability to identify grasses is an important skill for individu­ borders between these prairies did not exist as sharp lines als interested in prairies and prairie management. This but were broad zones (ecotones) where one type of prairie knowledge is essential to determine the condition or health gradually blended into the other. of the vegetation, and to determine if management is mov­ ing the composition in a desired direction. Homeowners