Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Short-beard Plumegrass - Erianthus brevibarbis   Michaux
Members of Poaceae:
Members of Erianthus with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 5 » Family Poaceae
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AuthorMichaux
DistributionCoastal Plain. A single record from Beaufort County was cited in the journal Sida (Radford 42167 (NY). This species grows primarily in the lower Midwest and western Gulf Coastal Plain, with scattered records in AL, MS, and TN. The NC record is significantly disjunct. Beaufort Co.: 1.4 mi. northeast of Washington, 12 Oct. 1958, Radford 42167 (NY), specimen cited by Webster & Shaw (1995, Sida 16: 569). A duplicate specimen at NCU was annotated by R. LeBlond as E. brevibarbis var. contortus -- which in this website is now E. contortus. Therefore, E. brevibarbis sensu stricto does not occur in NC.
AbundanceApparently does not occur in NC. The State Rank should be moved from SU to SRF (reported falsely).
Habitat
Phenology
Identification
Taxonomic CommentsPlumegrasses are among our tallest grasses; several species reach 7-8 feet tall. The narrowly to broadly elliptical inflorescences stand erect well beyond the long, arching leaves. For proper ID, it is best to use mature spikelets. When immature, the inflorescences are tightly compact and slender; when mature, they relax and become elliptical in outline, and individual spikelets can be seen. Do not confuse these natives with the alien invasive Phragmites australis, which has much broader leaves and whose inflorescence branches are mostly swept to one side.
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSRF
Global RankG3G5
State Status
US Status
USACE-agcp
USACE-emp
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.