Grasses, Sedges, Rushes, &
Non-flowering Plants in Illinois


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Click on the links below
for information about
individual plant species:


Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern)

Agrostis gigantea (Redtop)


Agrostis hyemalis (Tickle Grass)

Agrostis perennans (Upland Bent)

Alopecurus aequalis (Short-awned Foxtail)

Alopecurus carolinianus (Annual Foxtail)

Alopecurus pratensis (Meadow Foxtail)

Ammophila breviligulata (Beach Grass)

Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem)

Andropogon virginicus (Broom Sedge)

Aristida oligantha (Prairie Three-Awn)

Arundinaria gigantea (Giant Cane)

Asplenium pinnatifidum (Lobed Spleenwort)

Asplenium platyneuron (Ebony Spleenwort)

Asplenium rhizophyllum (Walking Fern)

Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern)

Avena sativa (Oats)

Bothriochloa ischaemum (Old World Bluestem)

Botrychium dissectum dissectum (Cutleaf Grapefern)

Botrychium dissectum obliquum (Bronze Fern)

Botrychium virginianum (Rattlesnake Fern)

Bouteloua curtipendula (Side Oats Grama)

Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama)

Brachyelytrum erectum (Long-awned Wood Grass)

Bromus hordeaceus pseudothominei (Lesser Soft Brome)

Bromus inermis (Smooth Brome)

Bromus kalmii (Prairie Brome)

Bromus pubescens (Hairy Woodland Brome)

Bromus secalinus (Common Chess)

Bromus tectorum (Downy Brome)

Buchloë dactyloides (Buffalo Grass)

Calamagrostis canadensis (Bluejoint Grass)

Calamovilfa longifolia (Sand Reed)

Carex abdita (Hidden Sedge)

Carex aggregata (Clustered Sedge)

Carex albursina (White Bear Sedge)

Carex aurea (Golden Sedge)

Carex bicknellii (Bicknell's Sedge)

Carex blanda (Common Woodland Sedge)

Carex brachyglossa (Yellow Fox Sedge)

Carex brevior (Plains Oval Sedge)

Carex bromoides (Brome-like Sedge)

Carex careyana (Carey's Sedge)

Carex cephalophora (Capitate Sedge)

Carex comosa (Bottlebrush Sedge)

Carex conjuncta (Soft Fox Sedge)

Carex crawei (Crawe's Sedge)

Carex crinita (Fringed Sedge)

Carex cristatella (Crested Sedge)

Carex crus-corvi (Raven's Foot Sedge)

Carex cryptolepis (Little Yellow Sedge)

Carex davisii (Davis' Sedge)

Carex frankii (Frank's Sedge)

Carex granularis (Meadow Sedge)

Carex gravida (Heavy Sedge)

Carex grayi (Gray's Sedge)

Carex grisea (Wood Gray Sedge)

Carex haydenii (Hayden's Sedge)

Carex hirsutella (Hairy-leaved Sedge)

Carex hirtifolia (Hairy Sedge)

Carex hitchcockiana (Hitchcock's Sedge)

Carex hystericina (Porcupine Sedge)

Carex intumescens (Bladder Sedge)

Carex jamesii (James' Sedge)

Carex lacustris (Lake Sedge)

Carex laeviconica (Plains Slough Sedge)

Carex laevenworthii (Leavenworth's Sedge)

Carex lupuliformis (Hop-like Sedge)

Carex lupulina (Hop Sedge)

Carex lurida (Sallow Sedge)

Carex meadii (Mead's Sedge)

Carex molesta (Troublesome Sedge)

Carex muehlenbergii (Sand Sedge)

Carex muskingumensis (Muskingum Sedge)

Carex oligocarpa (Sparse-fruited Sedge)

Carex pellita (Woolly Sedge)

Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania Sedge)

Carex plantaginea (Plantain-leaved Sedge)

Carex praegracilis (Expressway Sedge)

Carex radiata (Star Sedge)

Carex scoparia (Pointed Broom Sedge)

Carex shortiana (Short's Sedge)

Carex sprengelii (Long-beaked Sedge)

Carex squarrosa (Squarrose Sedge)

Carex stipata (Prickly Sedge)

Carex stricta (Tussock Sedge)

Carex swanii (Swan's Sedge)

Carex tenera (Remote Sedge)

Carex tribuloides (Blunt Broom Sedge)

Carex trichocarpa (Hairy-fruited Sedge)

Carex tuckermanii (Tuckerman's Sedge)

Carex viridula (Little Green Sedge)

Carex vulpinoidea (Brown Fox Sedge)

Cenchrus longispinus (Sandbur)

Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland Oats)

Chloris verticillata (Windmill Grass)

Cinna arundinacea (Stout Wood Reed)

Coleataenia rigidula (Redtop Panic Grass)

Cyperus bipartitus bipartitus (Shining Flatsedge)

Cyperus erythrorhizos (Red-rooted Flatsedge)

Cyperus esculentus (Yellow Nut Sedge)

Cyperus lupulinus macilentus (Slender Sand Sedge)

Cyperus × mesochorus (Midland Sand Sedge)

Cyperus odoratus (Rusty Flatsedge)

Cyperus squarrosus (Bearded Flatsedge)

Cyperus strigosus (Straw-colored Flatsedge)

Cystopteris bulbifera (Bulblet Fern)

Cystopteris protrusa (Southern Fragile Fern)

Dactylis glomerata (Orchard Grass)

Danthonia spicata (Poverty Oat Grass)

Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Hay-scented Fern)

Deparia acrostichoides (Silvery Glade Fern)

Diarrhena obovata (Beak Grass)

Dichanthelium acuminatum fasciculatum (Woolly Panic Grass)

Dichanthelium boscii (Bosc's Panic Grass)

Dichanthelium clandestinum (Deer-Tongue Grass)

Dichanthelium depauperatum (Starved Panic Grass)

Dichanthelium dichotomum dichotomum (Forked Panic Grass)

Dichanthelium microcarpon (Small-fruited Panic Grass)

Dichanthelium scribnerianum (Scribner's Panic Grass)

Dichanthelium villosissimum (White-haired Panic Grass)

Digitaria ischaemum (Smooth Crabgrass)

Digitaria sanguinalis (Common Crabgrass)

Diphasiastrum digitatum (Fan Clubmoss)

Diplazium pycnocarpon (Glade Fern)

Dryopteris carthusiana (Toothed Wood Fern)

Dryopteris goldiana (Goldie's Fern)

Dryopteris marginalis (Marginal Shield Fern)

Dulichium arundinaceum (Three-way Sedge)

Echinochloa muricata muricata (Awned Barnyard Grass)

Echinochloa muricata wiegandii (Awnless Barnyard Grass)

Eleocharis acicularis (Needle Spikerush)

Eleocharis compressa (Flat-stemmed Spikerush)

Eleocharis obtusa (Blunt Spikerush)

Eleusine indica (Goose Grass)

Elymus canadensis glaucifolius (Canada Wild Rye – blue form)

Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass)

Elymus riparius (Riverbank Wild Rye)

Elymus villosus (Silky Wild Rye)

Elymus virginicus (Virginia Wild Rye)

Elytrigia repens aristata (Quack Grass)

Equisetum arvense (Common Horsetail)

Equisetum × ferrissii (Intermediate Horsetail)

Equisetum fluviatile (Water Horsetail)

Equisetum hyemale affine (Scouring Rush)

Equisetum variegatum (Variegated Horsetail)

Eragrostis cilianensis (Stink Grass)

Eragrostis frankii frankii (Sandbar Love Grass)

Eragrostis hypnoides (Creeping Love Grass)

Eragrostis minor (Lesser Love Grass)

Eragrostis pectinacea (Tufted Love Grass)

Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Love Grass)

Eriochloa villosa (Hairy Cup Grass)

Eriophorum virginicum (Tawny Cotton Grass)

Festuca pratensis (Meadow Fescue)

Festuca subverticillata (Nodding Fescue)

Festuca trachyphylla (Hard Fescue)

Glyceria septentrionalis (Eastern Manna Grass)

Glyceria striata (Fowl Manna Grass)

Hemicarpha micrantha (Dwarf Bulrush)

Hesperostipa spartea (Porcupine Grass)

Hordeum jubatum (Squirrel-Tail Grass)

Hordeum pusillum (Little Barley)

Huperzia lucidula (Shining Firmoss)

Juncus acuminatus (Sharp-fruited Rush)

Juncus arcticus balticus (Baltic Rush)

Juncus articulatus (Jointed Rush)

Juncus brachycephalus (Small-headed Rush)

Juncus dudleyi (Dudley's Rush)

Juncus effusus (Soft Rush)

Juncus interior (Inland Rush)

Juncus tenuis (Path Rush)

Juncus torreyi (Torrey's Rush)

Koeleria macrantha (June Grass)

Leersia oryzoides (Rice Cutgrass)

Leersia virginica (White Grass)

Leptochloa fascicularis (Bearded Sprangletop)

Lolium multiflorum (Italian Rye Grass)

Lolium perenne (English Ryegrass)

Luzula echinata (Hedgehog Wood Rush)

Luzula multiflora (Common Wood Rush)

Marsilea quadrifolia (European Water Clover)

Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

Microstegium vimineum (Japanese Stiltgrass)

Milium effusum (Millet Grass)

Muhlenbergia cuspidata (Prairie Satin Grass)

Muhlenbergia frondosa (Common Satin Grass)

Muhlenbergia racemosa (Marsh Muhly)

Muhlenbergia schreberi (Nimblewill)

Muhlenbergia tenuiflora (Slender Satin Grass)

Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern)

Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern)

Osmunda claytoniana (Interrupted Fern)

Osmunda regalis spectabilis (Royal Fern)

Panicum capillare capillare (Witch Grass)

Panicum dichotomiflorum (Fall Panicum)

Panicum miliaceum (Proso Millet)

Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)

Paspalum bushii (Bush's Bead Grass)

Pennisetum alopecuroides (Chinese Fountain Grass)

Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary Grass)

Phegopteris connectilis (Long Beech Fern)

Phegopteris hexagonoptera (Beech Fern)

Phleum pratense (Timothy)

Phragmites australis (Giant Reed)

Poa annua (Annual Bluegrass)

Poa bulbosa (Bulbous Bluegrass)

Poa compressa (Canada Bluegrass)

Poa pratensis (Kentucky Bluegrass)

Poa sylvestris (Woodland Bluegrass)

Polypodium virginianum (Common Polypody)

Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas Fern)

Pteridium aquilinum latiusculum (Bracken Fern)

Rhynchospora capillacea (Hair Beakrush)

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)

Schoenoplectus pungens (Common Three-Square)

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (Great Bulrush)

Scirpus atrovirens (Dark Green Bulrush)

Scirpus cyperinus (Wool Grass)

Scirpus pendulus (Nodding Bulrush)

Selaginella eclipes (Hidden Spikemoss)

Setaria faberi (Giant Foxtail)

Setaria pumila (Yellow Foxtail)

Setaria viridis (Green Foxtail)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass)

Sorghum bicolor (Sorghum)

Sorghum halepense (Johnson Grass)

Spartina pectinata (Prairie Cordgrass)

Sphenopholis intermedia (Slender Wedge Grass)

Sphenopholis obtusata (Prairie Wedge Grass)

Sporobolus compositus (Tall Dropseed)

Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)

Sporobolus neglectus (Small Dropseed)

Sporobolus vaginiflorus (Sheathed Dropseed)

Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York Fern)

Thelypteris palustris pubescens (Marsh Fern)

Tridens flavus cupreus (Purpletop)

Triplasis purpurea (Sand Grass)

Tripsacum dactyloides (Gama Grass)

Triticum aestivum (Wheat)

Woodsia obtusa (Common Woodsia)

Zea mays (Cultivated Corn)



Send questions or comments to John Hilty

at the following e-mail address:
john@illinoiswildflowers.info

Copyright © 2004-2019 by John Hilty
Last update: 11-20-19