- You are here:
- Dichotomous Key
- Poaceae
- Poaceae Group 10
- Dichanthelium
- Dichanthelium latifolium
Dichanthelium latifolium — broad-leaved rosette-panicgrass
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
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.
Facts
Broad-leaved rosette-panicgrass has broad, hairy leaves with smooth sheaths. It inhabits moist forests and woodlands. Like the other rosette-panicgrasses, it produces normal (chasmogamous) flowers initially, then later in the season it produces self-fertilizing (cleistogamous) flowers on small inflorescences that are usually hidden within the sheathes. Both types of flowers produce viable seeds.
Habitat
Forests, woodlands
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 15–40 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 2.9–3.9 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
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.4–0.7 mm
- Anther length
- 0.8–1 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.8–1 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is hard and firm
- Floret number
- 1–2
- Floret types within spikelet
-
- NA
- there are at least two distinct forms of florets within one spikelet
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is flat or curved in cross-section
- Glume veins
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Glumes per spikelet
- 2
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence length
- 70–150 mm
- Inflorescence length to width ratio
- 1.5–2
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Inflorescence width
- 40–120 mm
- Inforescence position
-
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- the spikelets are mainly found at the nodes, in the axils of leaves, along the stem
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn coiled
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma awn orientation
- NA
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
-
- the lemma has fine hairs between the veins
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Lower glume length
- 1.25–2.6 mm
- Lower glume relative length
- the lower glume is one third to three quarters as long as the upper glume
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea length
- 2.8–3.5 mm
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Reproductive system
- some flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens, while other flowers have only one type of reproductive organ (polygamous)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- the spikelet breaks off below the glumes
- Spikelet length
- 2.9–3.9 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 0
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets have pedicels
- Spikelet shape
- the spikelets are elliptic (widest in the middle, tapering to the ends) in profile
- Spikelet width
- 1.6–2 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
- the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
- Upper glume length
- Up to 3.9 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- the upper glume is more than one half as long as the lowest lemma
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Fruits or seeds
- Groove on seed
- the caryopsis does not have a groove on it
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizomes
- yes
- Roots
- the plant has rhizomes (horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has large or prominent tufts of leaves at the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf blade cuts in abruptly to the narrower base, or has rounded lobes on either side of the base (heart-shaped)
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- the leaf blade is hairy
- Leaf blade length
- 10–16 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 15–40 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.4–0.7 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- Leaf sheath hairs
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- forests
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes have hairs that stand out at a shallow angle, or they curve downwards
- Plant height
- 45–110 cm
- Roots at lower stem nodes
- no
- Stem hairs
-
- the stem has hairs on it
- the stem is nearly to completely hairless
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Dichanthelium boscii:
- spikelets 3.8-5.2 mm long and nodes moderately to densely pubescent with retrorsely oriented hairs 1.3-3.4 mm long (vs. D. latifolium, with spikelets 2.9-3.9 mm long and nodes glabrous or sparsely pubescent with retrorsely oriented hairs as long as 1.4 mm).
- Dichanthelium clandestinum:
- hairs of sheath arising from a blister-like base and rhizomes 3-5 mm thick (vs. D. latifolium, with the hairs of sheath without a blister-like base and rhizomes up to 2 mm thick).
Synonyms
- Panicum latifolium L.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
8. Dichanthelium latifolium (L.) Harvill N
broad-leaved rosette-panicgrass. Panicum latifolium L. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Mesic to dry-mesic, usually deciduous, forests and woodlands.