Chloris gayana — Rhodes windmill-grass
![Inflorescences: Chloris gayana. ~ By Kim Starr. ~ Copyright © 2024 CC BY 3.0. ~ starrimages[at]hear.org ~ Plants of Hawaii - www.hear.org/starr/images/?o=plants](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Poaceae/chloris-gayana-in-kstarr3.jpg)
![Plant form: Chloris gayana. ~ By Kim Starr. ~ Copyright © 2024 CC BY 3.0. ~ starrimages[at]hear.org ~ Plants of Hawaii - www.hear.org/starr/images/?o=plants](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Poaceae/chloris-gayana-ha-kstarr3.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Rhodes windmill-grass is native to southern and eastern Africa, and widely naturalized elsewhere in Africa and around the world. It is considered one of the best forage grasses in tropical agro-ecosystems. It appears in scattered locations in southern and astern North America, and is a rare visitor to New England, having been collected only in Massachusetts.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Massachusetts
- Leaf blade width
- 1.5–9 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 2.5–4 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 4–7.7 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Flowers
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence length
- Up to 200 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched and the branches all grow from the same side of the plant and look like spikes
- Lemma awn base
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn length
- 4–7.7 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma has hairs at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma marginal vein hairs
- the marginal vein of the lemma has fine hairs on it
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 2.5–4 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
-
- no
- yes
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 1.5–9 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 100–300 cm
- Stem spacing
-
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
2. Chloris gayana Kunth E
Rhodes windmill-grass. MA. Fields, roadsides, disturbed soil. The report of this species from Maine by Campbell et al. (1995) is based on a specimen from Hawaii—2 Mar 1930, Lowe s.n. ( MAINE!).
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Chloris cucullata:
- second lemma of spikelet +/- truncate at the apex, sometimes widely distally, and plants lacking stolons (vs. C. gayana, with second lemma of spikelet pointed at apex, not widened distally, and plants with stolons).
- Chloris virgata:
- second lemma of spikelet +/- truncate at the apex, sometimes widely distally, and plants usually lacking stolons (vs. C. gayana, with second lemma of spikelet pointed at apex, not widened distally, and plants with stolons).