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Danthonia spicata
Also called Poverty Oat Grass, Poverty Danthonia, Poverty Grass, Poverty Wild Oatgrass, Poverty Wild Oat Grass, Common Wild Oatgrass
Danthonia spicata is a species of grass known by the common name poverty oatgrass, or simply poverty grass. It is native to North America, where it is widespread and common in many areas. The species is distributed across much of Canada and the United States, and its distribution extends into northern Mexico.
This perennial bunchgrass is variable in appearance. It has no rhizomes or stolons. It grows anywhere from 7 to 100 cm (2.8 to 39 in) tall. The grass takes the form of a crowded tuft of leaves at ground level. The leaves often become curly and persist as they dry out. Plants in shady and moist areas may not have curly leaves. The inflorescence is a narrow panicle of up to 18 spikelets. The spikelets have twisted, hairy awns. There are also some unopening, cleistogamous florets next to the leaves, and in the panicles.
California oatgrass · Flattened oatgrass · Common heathgrass · Danthonia holm-nielsenii · Timber oatgrass · Onespike danthonia · Oatgrass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Danthonia spicata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
