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Chloris cucullata Bisch.
hooded windmill grass

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons

Subclass  Commelinidae

Order  Cyperales

Family  Poaceae -- Grass family

Genus  Chloris Sw. -- windmill grass P

Species  Chloris cucullata Bisch. -- hooded windmill grass P

 

Alternate Names

hooded windmill grass

 

Uses

Hooded windmillgrass is grazed moderately by all livestock and the forage quality is fairly high.  The amount of forage produced is relatively low compared with that of taller growing associated grasses.  It provides fair‑quality forage during the winter, but should be supplemented with a protein concentrate.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

 

Description

Grass Family (Poaceae).  Hooded windmillgrass is a native, warm‑season, perennial bunch grass.  The height is between 1 and 2 feet.  The leaf blade is 2 to 6 inches long, folded to a sharp point, and bluish green in color.  The leaf sheath is mostly basal, shorter than internodes, and compressed or flattened.  The seedhead is 7 to 12 purplish spikes 1 to 2 inches long, clustered at end of stem.  The spikes turn straw yellow to brownish gray at maturity and the lemma of each spikelet has a short awn.

 

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

 

Management

Because of low productivity, this grass is seldom a key management species.  When it is, no more than 50 percent of the current year's growth by weight should be removed by grazing.

 

Establishment

New growth starts in early spring and stays green until fall.  It may produce several seed crops during the growing season, the earliest one about June.  Sometimes this plant has a short rhizome.  The windmill appearance of the seedhead makes identification easy when flowering.  It is adapted to acid to neutral medium‑ and coarse‑textured soils.  It does not do well on calcareous or clay soils.

 

Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Please contact your local NRCS Field Office.

 

Reference

Leithead, H.L., L.L. Yarlett, & T.N. Shiflett. 1976. 100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states. USDA SCS Agriculture Handbook No. 389, Washington, DC.

 

Prepared By & Species Coordinator:

Percy Magee, USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

Edited: 13may02 ahv; jul03 ahv; 20sep05 jsp; 070116 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture