Description:
This native grass is a summer annual consisting of a sprawling tuft of
flowering culms with alternate leaves. Each culm is usually branched toward its
base, but becomes unbranched above. The slender culms are light green or
purple, glabrous, terete, and about ½–2' in length. The leaf blades
are 1-6" long and 1.5–3.0 mm. across; they are yellowish green to green,
hairless, and flat. The leaf sheaths are light green, veined, and hairless
– except at the junction of the sheaths with the blades, where there are
thin collars of long white hairs. The sheaths are shorter than the internodes;
the exposed nodes are swollen, hairless, and either light green or purple. The
central culm (and any lateral culms) terminates in a panicle of spikelets about
3-9" long and 1-4" wide at the bottom. The panicle is airy in appearance and
narrowly pyramidal in shape. Along the central axis (stalk) of the
inflorescence, there are several lateral branches that are ascending. These
lateral branches are alternate, opposite, or whorled along the central axis.
Both the central axis and lateral branches are slender, glabrous, and either
straight or slightly squiggly. Each lateral branch produces 1-5 spikelets along
the upper one-half of its length; each spikelet has a short slender pedicel.
The spikelets and their pedicels are either appressed or slightly divergent
along the length of each branch. Each spikelet is 4-8 mm. long and about 1.5
mm. across, consisting of 2 glumes and 5-15 lemmas that are arranged in two
columnar ranks. The spikelets are light gray-green or lead-colored, glabrous,
smooth along their margins, and flattened; sometimes the tips of their lemmas
are tinted purple. The first glume is 0.5–1.0 mm. long, while the second
glume is 0.7–1.5 mm. long; they are keeled, elliptic, and single-veined.
Individual lemmas are 1.0–2.0 mm. long; they are keeled, elliptic, and
3-veined. The lateral veins of the lemmas are conspicuous when a spikelet is
viewed with a 10x hand lens. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to the
early fall. The elongated grains are 0.5–1.0 mm. long; they are small
enough to be blown about by the wind. The root system is fibrous. This grass
spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry
conditions, and a barren soil containing sand, gravel, or clay.
Range &
Habitat: This common grass is found in all counties of Illinois (see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include thinly wooded upland areas, sandy savannas, dry sand
prairies and gravel prairies, sand bars along rivers, areas along roads and
railroads, cracks in sidewalks and parking lots, fields, and barren waste
areas. This grass is found primarily in habitats with a history of disturbance;
it is a pioneer species.
Faunal
Associations: Surprisingly little is known about floral-faunal
relationships for this common grass. The caterpillars of Poanes zabulon
(Zabulon Skipper) and the polyphagous Chaectocnema pulicaria (Corn Flea
Beetle) have been observed to feed on the foliage of Eragrostis spp.
(Love Grasses).
Photographic
Location: A crack in the parking lot of the webmaster's apartment
complex.
Comments: This is one of the weedy annual Eragrostis spp. (Love Grasses). Some of these species are native, while others have been introduced from Eurasia. The native Love grasses that are perennials have more fidelity to higher quality habitats (e.g., sand prairies). Distinguishing among different species of Love grass is rather difficult. The following characteristics of Tufted Love Grass are useful in making an accurate identification: 1) its spikelets are appressed or slightly divergent along the length of the lateral branches, rather than strongly divergent, 2) there are no glandular secretions (looking like tiny glossy dots) along the margins of its leaves and along the keels of its lemmas, 3) individual spikelets are about 1.5 mm. across, 4) there are 5-15 lemmas per spikelet, and 5) there are no tufts of hair where the lateral branches join the central axis of the inflorescence. Of these different characteristics, #1 above is the most distinctive and striking. Other common names of Eragrostis pectinacea are Slender Love Grass, Small Love Grass, and Carolina Love Grass.