Plains Lovegrass

Eragrostis intermedia

Poaceae


Description

According to Hatch & Pluhar in Texas Range Plants, when compared to Weeping and Sand Lovegrass, Plains Lovegrass has fewer and smaller spikelets, and the plant is smaller overall.  Plains Lovegrass grows from a tufted base and is an erect bunchgrass reaching 3 ft or 90 cm in height. Leaf blades with margins rolled inward toward the upper side grow up to about 20 cm by 3 mm. As Loflin & Loflin state in Grasses of the Texas Hill Country, the sheaths are conspicuously hairy at the throat and across the collar.  The diffuse panicle is large, open, erect, and pyramid shaped. The panicle has ascending to spreading branches carrying grayish or brownish green 5-11 flowered spikelets of about 4 to 7 mm. Long, silky hairs are in the axils of the lowermost branches.  The spikelets themselves are borne on the branches from pedicels even shorter than the spikelets. Seeds are oblong, < 1 mm, and with a strong adaxial groove.  Plains Lovegrass is a perennial, warm-season, native which blooms in June and produces seeds through November. It provides good grazing for livestock but poor grazing for wildlife. 

Habitat

Grows best on rich soils on rocky, gravelly, or sandy land. Decreases with overgrazing. Often found on disturbed sites. 

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