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- Grass-like plants
- True grasses
- Chloris gayana
Chloris gayana — Rhodes windmill-grass
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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.
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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
Characteristics
- 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)
New England distribution and conservation status
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)
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).
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
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!).