Major Plants of the Great Plains - WordPress.com · Major Plants of the Great Plains Mike Haddock...
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Major Plants of the Great Plains Mike Haddock Amanda Gearhart Amanda Gearhart
Transcript of Major Plants of the Great Plains - WordPress.com · Major Plants of the Great Plains Mike Haddock...
Major Plants of the
Great Plains
Mike Haddock
Amanda Gearhart
Amanda Gearhart
Rangelands of the North America
Grassland
& Savannas
Mediterranean
Deserts &
Semideserts
Deserts &
Semideserts
Rangelands of the Great Plains
Variation in Annual Precipitation Across U.S.
Great Plains
Great
Basin
Hallock, Minnesota
= Major Rangeland Soils
Plants of the Great Plains
GRASSES - - - - - - - - -ANDROPOGONEAE Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
ANDROPOGONEAE Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
ANDROPOGONEAE Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans
CYNODONTEAE Blue Grama Bouteloua gracilis
CYNODONTEAE Buffalograss Buchloe dactyloides
PANICEAE Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
FORBS - - - - - - - -ASTEREA Missouri Goldonrod Solidago missouriensis
EUPATORIEAE Dotted Gayfeather Liatris punctata
HELIANTHEAE Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columnifera
ROSACEAE Shrubby Cinquefoil Pentapylloides fruticosa
** All are Perennial and Native
Large sodgrass with thick base
Can have extensive scaly rhizomes
Seedhead is a panicle with 2-6 digitate
(finger-like) branches
Andropogon gerardii
ANDROPOGONEAE Big Bluestem
Page 30-31
2 florets per spikelet; one floret
with awn, one infertile and
awnless
Andropogon gerardii
ANDROPOGONEAE Big Bluestem
Page 30-31
Mid-sized bunchgrass about half the size of Big Bluestem
Sheaths and culms flat
Short rhizomes
Schizachyrium scoparium
ANDROPOGONEAE Little Bluestem
Page 38-39
Schizachyrium scoparium
ANDROPOGONEAE Little Bluestem
Page 38-39
Several small racemes in a panicle-type arrangement
Each seed has a small “kinky” awn
Large sodgrass
With short, scaley rhizomes
Auricles erect flanking ligule
‘rifle-sight’ ligule
Short, soft hairs at the nodes
Sorghastrum nutans
ANDROPOGONEAE Indiangrass
Page 40-41
Seedhead is a single,
narrow, plume-like panicle
Seed is light and fluffy with
small awns attached.
Sorghastrum nutans
ANDROPOGONEAE Indiangrass
Page 40-41
Bouteloua gracilis
Cynodonteae Blue Grama
Page 86-87
Densely tufted plant with
short, mostly basal, leaves
Bouteloua gracilis
Cynodonteae Blue Grama
Page 86-87
Inflorescence has 1-3 (normally
2) spicate branches (combs) per
culm
Spikelets are densely crowded
on comb-like branches
Buchloe dactyloides
Cynodonteae Buffalograss
Page 92-93
Shortgrass that is
stoloniferous and
forms a dense sod
Male spikelets are
arranged on spicate
inflorescence branch
Male flowerFemale flower
Buchloe dactyloides
Cynodonteae Buffalograss
Page 92-93
Male & female on separate
plants (dioecious)
Rhizomatous, tall grass
with stout clums
Tuft of hair at throat of
sheath
Panicum virgatum
Paniceae Switchgrass
Page 152-153
Seedhead is a
broad and diffuse
panicle
Spikelets toward
ends of panicle
branches
Each spikelet has
one floret
Panicum virgatum
Paniceae Switchgrass
Page 152-153
Solidago missouriensis
herbaceous forb with erect
stems arising singly from a
creeping rhizome
brownish or reddish stems
leaves taper at both ends,
entire or only slightly serrated
leaves have 3 or more
distinct veins parallel to
margin; “road-map” venation
ASTEREAE Missouri Goldenrod
Page 254-255
inflorescence panicle-like with recurving
branches (e.g. curved pyramidal
inflorescence)
member of the Astereae tribe of the
Asteraceae family
Solidago missouriensis
ASTEREAE Missouri Goldenrod
Page 254-255
Liatris punctata
Surface of leaves
distinctly punctate
(dotted with little holes)
Leaves linear & sessile
Thick bulb below the
soil surface
EUPATORIEAE Dotted Gayfeather
Page 262-263
Liatris punctata
Purple/lavender flowers
Flowers sessile on stem
Flowers in axil of leaves
Thick, punctate bracts
EUPATORIEAE Dotted Gayfeather
Page 262-263
Ratibida columnifera
Leaves deeply cleft to
midrib, with stiff hairs
Stems from a woody
taproot
HELIANTHEAE Prairie Coneflower
Page 280-281
Ratibida columnifera
Ray flowers yellow or red
Disk flowers brown and in
a cylindrical column
HELIANTHEAE Prairie Coneflower
Page 280-281
Small shrub branching from base
Red “shreddy” bark
Yellow or orange flowers
Pentaphylloides fruticosa
Rosaceae Shrubby Cinquefoil
Page 413-414
Yellow or orange flowers with 5
petals
Leaves pinnately compound
with stipule at base
Pentaphylloides fruticosa
Rosaceae Shrubby Cinquefoil
Page 413-414
