Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Andropogon scoparius Michx.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: little bluestem, prairie beardgrass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Habit: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or short. Culms 50-150 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface to hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-3 mm long. Leaf-blades 15-30 cm long; 3-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous to hirsute. Leaf-blade apex acute. Synflorescence compound; linear. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole linear; 4-6 cm long; herbaceous. Racemes 1; single; sinuous; 3-6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; ciliate on margins, or villous on margins. Rhachis internodes clavate. Rhachis internode tip cupuliform; with scarious rim. Spikelets ascending, or spreading; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; curved; ciliate, or villous. Sterile spikelets: Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes, or well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 1.5-7 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; muticous, or awned; one glume awned; with 1.5-3 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes. Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted. Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 times length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled laterally; keeled obtusely. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct; 3 in number. Lower glume surface flat, or concave. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled. Florets: Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lanceolate lobes; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 8-15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute"  (GrassBase).

"May be distinguished from S. condensatum by the following characters: culms densely tufted, 50-150 cm tall, erect, often glaucous, branching distally, sheaths and blades glabrous or blades long pilose towards base, blades 9-20 x 3-4 mm; inflorescence with racemes 3-6 cm long, mostly curved, the peduncles filiform, mostly included in the sheaths, often spreading, the rachis slender, flexuose, pilose; sessile spikelets 6-8 mm long, scabrous, the awn 8-15 mm long, twisted, minutely scabrid; pedicellate spikelet reduced, short-awned, spreading, the pedicel pilose"  (Lorence & Flynn, 1995).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canada, United States and northern Mexico (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (pp. 47-48) "Pasture land and secondary forest". Voucher cited: T. Flynn & L. Hume 3220 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced cultivated	Herbst, Derral R./Clayton, W. D. (1998) (p. 35) Voucher cited: Hosaka 2459 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbst, Derral R./Clayton, W. D. (1998) (p. 35) Vouchers cited: Hosaka 2620 (BISH), Nagata & Takeuchi 3743 (BISH), Nagata & Takeuchi 3750 (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Schizachyrium scoparium, please let us know.