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Chloris cucullata (Hooded windmill grass)
Pyle, Lynn

Chloris cucullata

Chloris cucullata Bisch.

Hooded Windmill Grass, Hooded Windmillgrass

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: CHCU2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Culms: 15-60 cm tall. Spikelets: Straw-colored to fawny. Ligule: Short-ciliate crown. Panicles: 10-20 branches, 2-5 cm long.

 

From the Image Gallery

4 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 2 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Not Applicable
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov
Bloom Notes: The flowers (florets) of grasses are often minute and therefore inconspicuous.

Distribution

USA: FL , KS , ME , NM , OK , SC , TX
Native Distribution: Texas: Practically throughout the state but rare in west Plains Country and Trans-Pecos, east and southeast Texas; most abundant in the Rio Grande Plains. General: Oklahoma, southeast New Mexico, southeast to northern Mexico.
Native Habitat: Prairies, sandy and gravelly soils, less common on clayey soils.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Sandy, Sandy Loam

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Graze; Seeds-Small mammals & granivorous birds like marshland game birds; Nesting material.
Use Other: Fair grazing for livestock.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: The Grass Family is an essential larval food for most branded skippers and most of the satyrs.
Deer Resistant: Minimal

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Seed Treatment: No special pre-treatment.

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge, c/o Wimberley Birding Society - Wimberley, TX
Nueces River Authority - Uvalde, TX

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-544 Collected 2007-07-31 in Travis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Bibliography

Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Additional resources

USDA: Find Chloris cucullata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Chloris cucullata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chloris cucullata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-03-17
Research By: TWC Staff

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