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Piptochaetium avenacioides (Nash)Valencia & Costas
Florida Needlegrass
Florida Speargrass
Florida native
Endemic to Florida
This species is endemic to the Florida peninsula from Clay to Collier Counties and is found in scrub, sandhills, open pine-oak woods and roadsides.
Culms may grow to 1m (over 3 ft.) or more tall. Leaves reach about 30cm (nearly 12 in.) long and a width of 2mm (~1/16 in.). The leaf blades are glabrous and smooth underneatha nd slightly scabrous on top. Ligules are 3mm longand the sheaths are glabrous to minutely pubescent. The entire inflorescance can be up to 31cm (just over 12 in.) long, not including the awns, with a drooping open structure. The single-flowered spikelets are 2cm (3/4 in.) long, with a dark brown 12mm glabrous cylindric lemma and a 12cm (1/2 in.) long scabrous, twisted awn with two bends.
Piptochaetium avenacioides is a member of the Poaceae - Grass family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 09, 2024
