Panicum hillmanii

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Panicum hillmanii
Panicum hillmanii sl17.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus: Panicum
Species:
P. hillmanii
Binomial name
Panicum hillmanii
Seeds Panicum hillmanii sl35.jpg
Seeds

Panicum hillmanii, commonly known as Hillmann's panicgrass, is a grass from genus Panicum native to Southwestern United States. [1] It has been introduced to many other areas, notably including southern Australia where it became widespread, [2] and several parts of Europe.

Contents

Description

Panicum hillmannii is a perennial grass that resembles the related P. capillare (hairy panic) in habitat and appearance. It is distinguished by slightly stiffer panicles, firmer foliage, the rachilla shortly developed between the upper and lower glumes, the sterile floret which has the palea developed; and larger darker fertile lemma (up to 2mm long) with a prominent crescent-shaped scar at its base. [3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

Panicum hillmannii is native to Southwest United States. [1] It was introduced to Australia in the early 1900s, and has spread across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, [3] [2] sharing the habitat with related native witchgrass ( P. effusum ). [5] It was also introduced to Europe, and specimens have been found in France, [6] Belgium, Austria and Germany, although it remains relatively rare there and confined to agricultural weed in maize fields and habitats such as roadsides. [7]

Like several other Panicum species (P. capillare and P. effusum), Hillman's panicgrass can become a tumbleweed under extremely dry conditions, and can become a nuisance in residential areas due to the accumulation of grass stalks. Dry tumbleweed poses a serious fire danger. The plant is potentially harmful for grazing livestock, as it contains saponins causing liver damage in animals. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Panicum</i> Genus of grasses

Panicum (panicgrass) is a large genus of about 450 species of Poaceae grasses native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone. They are often large, annual or perennial grasses, growing to 1–3 m (3–10 ft) tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumbleweed</span> Plant lifestyle, detaches and drifts

A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumbleweed is in effect the entire plant apart from the root system, but in other plants, a hollow fruit or inflorescence might detach instead. Xerophyte tumbleweed species occur most commonly in steppe and arid ecosystems, where frequent wind and the open environment permit rolling without prohibitive obstruction.

<i>Panicum antidotale</i> Species of grass

Panicum antidotale Retz. is a tall, coarse, woody perennial grass throughout the Himalaya and the Upper Gangetic Plain and specifically in various regions of the Indian state of Punjab and the Pakistan province of Punjab and the neighbouring areas of these regions. The plant has strong spreading rhizomes.

<i>Panicum decompositum</i> Species of plant

Panicum decompositum, known by the common names native millet, native panic, Australian millet, papa grass, and umbrella grass, is a species of perennial grass native to the inland of Australia. It occurs in every mainland state. The seeds can be cultivated to produce flour typically used in Aboriginal bushfood. The species is also considered to have relatively high palatability by livestock, making it suitable for grazing pastures.

<i>Panicum capillare</i> Species of flowering plant

Panicum capillare, known by the common name witchgrass, is a species of grass. It is a native plant to most of North America from the East Coast through all of the West Coast and California. It can be found as an introduced species in Eurasia, and as a weed in gardens and landscaped areas. It grows in many types of habitat.

<i>Megathyrsus maximus</i> Species of plant

Megathyrsus maximus, known as Guinea grass and green panic grass, is a large perennial bunch grass that is native to Africa and Yemen. It has been introduced in the tropics around the world. It has previously been called Urochloa maxima and Panicum maximum. It was moved to the genus Megathyrsus in 2003.

<i>Panicum dichotomiflorum</i> Species of grass

Panicum dichotomiflorum, known by the common names fall panicgrass, autumn millet, and fall panicum is a species of Poaceae "true grass". It is native to much of the eastern United States and parts of Canada, and it can be found in the Western United States through California. It may be an introduced species in some western climates. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas and chaparral habitats.

<i>Panicum hirticaule</i> Species of flowering plant

Panicum hirticaule is a species of grass known by the common names Mexican panicgrass and roughstalked witchgrass. It is also known as the Sonoran millet, and is cultivated as a cereal crop in the American Southwest.

Panicum urvilleanum is a species of grass known by the common names desert panicgrass and silky panicgrass. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy habitat, including the dunes of the deserts. It is also known in parts of South America.

<i>Panicum effusum</i> Species of plant

Panicum effusum, commonly known as hairy panic, is a grass native to inland Australia. It occurs in every mainland state, as well as New Guinea. In dry conditions, the fast-growing grass can become a tumbleweed.

<i>Panicum fauriei</i> Species of flowering plant

Panicum fauriei is a species of grass known by the common name Faurie's panicgrass. It is endemic to Hawaii.

<i>Panicum niihauense</i> Species of grass

Panicum niihauense is a rare species of grass known by the common names lau 'ehu and Niihau panicgrass. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it has been found on the islands of Niihau and Kauai. It has not been observed on Niihau since 1949, and there are fewer than 40 individuals remaining on Kauai, not counting a few individuals that have been deliberately planted in appropriate habitat. The grass is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Panicum repens</i> Species of plant

Panicum repens is a species of grass known by many common names, including torpedograss, creeping panic, panic rampant, couch panicum, wainaku grass, quack grass, dog-tooth grass, and bullet grass. Its exact native range is obscure. Sources suggest that the grass is native to "Africa and/or Asia", "Europe or Australia", "Eurasia", "Australia", "Europe, Asia, and Africa", or other specific regions, including the Mediterranean, Israel, and Argentina. It is present in many places as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It has been called "one of the world's worst weeds."

<i>Dichanthelium scoparium</i> Species of plant

Dichanthelium scoparium is a species of grass known by the common names velvet panicum, velvety panicgrass, and broom panicgrass. It is native to North America, where it occurs in the southeastern United States. It also occurs in the West Indies.

<i>Panicum anceps</i> Species of flowering plant

Panicum anceps is a species of grass known by the common name beaked panicgrass. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs as far north as New Jersey and as far west as Kansas and Texas.

<i>Dichanthelium leibergii</i> Species of grass

Dichanthelium leibergii, known as variously as Leiberg's panicum, Leiberg's panicgrass, Leiberg's rosette grass, and prairie panic grass is a species of grass native to North America. It was named for its discoverer, John Bernhard Leiberg (1853-1913), a Swedish-born American botanist active in the western United States.

<i>Panicum flexile</i> Species of grass

Panicum flexile, commonly called wiry panicgrass, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family (Poaceae). It is primarily native to eastern to North America, where it has a scattered and localized distribution. It is typically found in mafic or calcareous open areas, both wet and dry, particularly associated with limestone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Panicum hillmanii Chase". USDA . Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Occurrence records: Panicum hillmanii". The Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Panicum hillmanii Chase". Flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  4. Donovan Stewart Correll; Marshall Conring Johnston (1970). Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. Texas Research Foundation. p. 180.
  5. 1 2 Clarke, Madeleine (15 February 2018). "'Panic' takes over the Riverina, but it's not hairy". The Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga) . Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  6. "Panicum hillmannii Chase". Tela Botanica. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. "Panicum hillmanii". Manual of Alien Plants of Belgium. Retrieved 30 March 2018.