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Old 06-06-2011, 12:36 AM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
Eggs Zachtly Eggs Zachtly is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 846
Default Please Identify this grass.

willshak said:

This grass suddenly caught my attention this Spring. I don't remember it
being there last year, since I do not mow in that area. In any event, it
was never this high or robust.
It is near the woods at the back of my property.
I doesn't resemble any of the grass seed I use and doesn't appear to be
a weed.
The leaves are about 3 feet long and cascade like a water fountain.
The seed heads are lower than the height of the leaves. They are down
inside the cluster. Usually, with grass or weeds, the seed heads grow
above the height of the leaves. Note the center 'seam' running the
length of the blades.
This is not one clump of grass, there are 4 or 5 clumps there.
It appears to be more of an ornamental grass plant than lawn grass, but
I have never planted an ornamental grass plant anywhere on my property
and I don't see any of this grass on my neighbors property.
I tried looking it up on the web and the nearest I came to was
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed), but I live in NY.
I like it, and even if it is a weed, I'm thinking of splitting it up and
replanting it somewhere else on my property

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...scn0362xw.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/dscn0363w.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/40/dscn0359n.jpg/


The seedheads are still immature. That's why they're still "lower than the
height of the 'blades'".

That being said, I doubt it to be /S. heterolepis/. It's WAY too early for the
seedheads to be forming. More likely, it's a variety of /Pennisetum/ (possibly
/P. alopecuroides/). Pics of the seedheads, when they mature, will help. =)
--

Eggs

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