Chloris virgata is a species of grass known by the common names feather fingergrass[4] feathery Rhodes-grass[5] and feather windmill grass.

Chloris virgata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Chloridoideae
Genus: Chloris
Species:
C. virgata
Binomial name
Chloris virgata
Synonyms
  • Chloris elegans Kunth[1][2]
  • Chloris elegans (Kunth) Roberty[3]

Distribution

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It is native to many of the warmer temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions of the world, including parts of Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas, and it is present in many other areas as a naturalized species, including Hawaii, Australia, and the Canary Islands.[6]

Chloris virgata is a hardy grass which can grow in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas such as roadsides and railroad tracks, and cultivated farmland. It is known in some areas as a weed, for example, in alfalfa fields in the southwestern United States.[7]

Description

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This is an annual grass growing up to about half a meter in maximum height. It sometimes forms tufts, and may or may not spread via stolons. The inflorescence is an array of 4 to 20 fingerlike branches up to 10 centimeters long. Each branch contains approximately 10 spikelets per centimeter. Each spikelet has one fertile floret and one or two sterile florets.

References

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  1. ^ Kunth Nov. Gen. Sp. (quarto ed.) 1: 166–167, t. 49 1815 [1816]
  2. ^ The Plant list_A Working list of all plant species
  3. ^ Roberty Petite Fl. l'Ouest-Afr. 387 1954
  4. ^ NRCS. "Chloris virgata". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  5. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  6. ^ "Chloris virgata". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  7. ^ Grass Manual Treatment Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
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