Danthonia sericea Nutt.

Downy Oatgrass; Silky Oatgrass

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Silky Oatgrass is a native perennial herb in the Grass family (Poaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Silky Oatgrass grows in dry to mesic, often sandy soils in pine savannahs, in mixed pine-hardwood forests, and in open rocky woods. Silky Oatgrass is a perennial warm season bunch grass, sometimes with short rhizomes. It has a fibrous root system. The stems are erect in small clumps, and 1-3 feet in height. Leaves are primarily basal. The leaves are alternate, linear-lanceolate, flat (in-rolled when dry), pubescent, with entire margins. The leaf sheaths are villous with prominent white hairs. Flowers are produced in terminal panicles of erect branches with 10-25 spikelets. The lemmas are pilose with the hairs increasing in length towards the tip, and long twisted awns. The fruit is a grain. The seed heads turn pale after the seed are shed and remain visible for months. Silky Oatgrass is an attractive low-growing species that can be used on dry sandy banks and other areas that are difficult to mow. It can be started from seed or divisions of mature clumps.—A. Diamond.

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Native FACU- (NWPL)

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