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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum

Saccharum brevibarbe (Michx.) Pers. var. contortum (Elliott) R. Webster

Shortbeard Plumegrass, Bent-awn Plumegrass

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Erianthus contortus, Saccharum contortum

USDA Symbol: SABRC3

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Similar to Saccharum giganteum, but with white flower plumes, purplish culms, and bronze autumn color.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 8 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Yellow , Brown
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , DE , FL , GA , KY , LA , MD , MS , NC , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA
Native Habitat: Moist sandy to sandy loam soils high in natural fertility, open woodlands and forests, woodland borders.

Bibliography

Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 57 - Atlas of Florida Plants (2020) Institute for Systematic Botany
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-21
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