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Prairie cupgrass

Eriochloa contracta

Also called Prairie Cup Grass

Prairie cupgrass
Photo: Stephen Laymon, Bureau of Land Management, Public domain

Prairie cupgrass is a native annual grass of the central United States, often a weed in moist ground. It is grown mainly as a wild or forage grass rather than a garden plant, and it spreads by seed and by rooting stems.

Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass, Annual
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Thrives in moist soil; it tolerates occasional drying once established.
Soil
Tolerates a range of soils, favouring moist, fertile ground.
Temperature
Warm-season grass suited to temperate climates; frost kills the annual each year.
How easy
Easy
Native range
U.S.A. to Mexico
Climate
temperate

About

Eriochloa contracta is a species of grass known by the common name prairie cupgrass. It is native to the central United States and it is naturalized in areas to the east and west, where it is often a weed, especially in moist areas. This annual grass may grow up to a meter tall when erect or it may bend, rooting where nodes on the stem touch the ground. The inflorescence is up to 20 centimeters long and is made up of several branches which stick out to the sides. The branches are lined with purplish spikelets a few millimeters long.

Prairie cupgrass is one of a number of species that can cause photosensitivity in humans.

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Eriochloa contracta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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.

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