Plant Guide with Characteristics, Classification, and other detailed information

Plant Guide

Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv. ex Roemer & J.A. Schultes
tanglehead
HECO10

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Medium
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Bunch
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	0.7
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	None
CaCO3 Tolerance	None
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Low
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	210
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum
Precipitation, Minimum	5
Precipitation, Maximum	14
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	10
Salinity Tolerance	Low
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	7

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Early Summer
Commercial Availability	Contracting Only
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Low
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	630000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	Yes
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal	Medium
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv. ex Roemer & J.A. Schultes
tanglehead
HECO10
Cultivar: Rocker

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Medium
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Bunch
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	0.7
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	None
CaCO3 Tolerance	None
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Low
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	210
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum
Precipitation, Minimum	5
Precipitation, Maximum	14
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	10
Salinity Tolerance	Low
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	7

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Early Summer
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Low
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	630000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	Yes
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal	Medium
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

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 Heteropogon Pers. -- tanglehead P

Species Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv. ex Roemer & J.A. Schultes -- tanglehead P

Alternate Names

spear grass

Uses

Livestock: Tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus) is a good forage grass for the southwestern United States, and does not develop sharp awns if it is consistently grazed. If allowed to form, these sharp awns can cause injury to sheep and other animals. Tanglehead is palatable to most livestock during the growing season. As it matures, it becomes coarser, and loses palatability. Tanglehead forage stands should be carefully managed, as populations will decrease under heavy grazing.

Wildlife: In addition, tanglehead can provide good nesting cover for birds, and good fawning cover for deer. It can also be used as a grass for native habitat restoration projects.

Ethnobotanic: Tanglehead is also used in Hawaii, where it is called pili. It is considered an important forage grass, and has been used by Hawaiin natives to thatch huts.

Ornamental: Tanglehead’s interesting looking seedhead makes it a good candidate for ornamental use.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description

Tanglehead is a native, warm-season, perennial bunchgrass. Also known as spear grass, it is a member of the Andropogoneae tribe of grasses. Tanglehead can grow three to eight feet in height, although most plants in south Texas do not grow much taller than three feet.

Tanglehead has a unique and interesting seedhead with long, twisted dark-colored awns. In Texas, it can flower from March to December, although the main flowering period is from June to November. The genus name Heteropogon refers to the spikelets of this genus that come in pairs as it means ‘different beard’ in Greek. The species is mostly apomictic (producing seed without pollination), but sexual reproduction has also been known to occur.

Adaptation

Tanglehead has a worldwide distribution. It can be found on every major landmass between 35º N latitude and 35º S latitude. It is one of a very few grasses that is said to be native to both the Old World and New World tropics.

In the United State, it is present in the southern parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and in Hawaii. In Texas, it is found in sandy prairies in extreme south Texas and in the Trans-Pecos Mountains. In the coastal regions of Texas, tanglehead persists mostly in well-managed pastures, although it was once a common grass in the coastal prairies.

It should be noted that tanglehead has a high degree of adaptability that has allowed it to survive in locations around the world for many years. Therefore plants from different global locations may differ in a wide range of morphological and phenological characteristics.

Known Distribution

Please consult the PLANTS Web site for the current distribution of this species.

Establishment

Tanglehead can be reproduced from seeds or vegetative transplants. A stand of tanglehead was established at the Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center using vegetative bunches split off of original plants from collection sites throughout Texas.

Tanglehead plants at the PMC have also been grown from seed, although germination was found to be less than ten percent using conventional germination techniques without scarification.

Management

Tanglehead plants at the Kika de la Garza Center were shredded or burned on an annual basis to reduce dead plant matter and induce new growth. Burning is commonly used as a tool to maintain tanglehead pastures for grazing in other parts of the world. However, some of the south Texas accessions were very sensitive to burning, being slow to re-grow. Therefore, ample time should be given between burning and grazing periods.

It is recommended that a minimum six-inch stubble height be maintained under continuous grazing. For rotational grazing, forage height should be utilized between four to ten inches.

Pests and Potential Problems

Mechanical harvesting of tanglehead was found to be impractical, as the seed heads tend to ball up during combining. Similar problems occur with a brush harvester, as the seed heads tend to catch in the brushes. In addition, seed cleaning was difficult, as the large awns are not easy to remove without damaging the seeds. However, without the removal of the awns, mechanical planting would not be practical, as they would clog the planter. This limits tanglehead’s applications in south Texas to small acreage and ornamental uses.

Prepared By & Species Coordinator:

John Lloyd-Reilley, Manager

Elizabeth Kadin, Research Assistant

Shelly D. Maher, Research Scientist

Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center, Kingsville, Texas

Edited: 1Oct2002 SDM; 06dec05 jsp; 060801 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