Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus

Pitted Beard Grass

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

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Pitted Beard Grass is an introduced herbaceous perennial in the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Asia, occurring from Pakistan east to China and south to Indonesia and Malaysia. It has been widely introduced in other areas of Asia, the Americas, Australia, and on Pacific islands. In Alabama it can be found in the central portion of the state. Pitted Beard Grass occurs on roadsides, in pastures, and in disturbed urban areas. It is a stoloniferous perennial. The stolons are pinkish in color, extensively creeping, and rooting at the nodes. The stems are erect, hollow, geniculate, and 2-3 feet in height. The nodes are bearded. The leaves are mostly basal, linear, entire, and primarily glabrous but with scattered, elongate, papillose-based hairs along the margins. Flowers are produced in terminal sub-digitate racemes. There are 3-12 reddish-purple racemes per inflorescence. The rachis, internodes, and pedicels are ciliate. The spikelets are sessile with 1 or 2 pits on the upper half of the lower glume. The fruit is a grain. Pitted Beard Grass has been introduced accidentally and, in some cases, deliberately for use as a forage grass, and for erosion control. It is considered an invasive species or noxious weed in many countries. This species was first recorded as a naturalized element of the Alabama flora in 2013 based on several recent specimens by different collectors. [Diamond, A.R., J.K. England, & B. Dykes. 2013. New to Alabama: Pitted bluestem, Bothriochloa pertusa (Poaceae). Phytoneuron 2013-40: 1-5.]—A. Diamond

Not Native

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