Names and Taxonomy
- Common Names: annual beard-grass, annual rabbitsfoot grass, tawny beardgrass
- Synonyms:
- Family: Poaceae (Grasses)
- Genus Information: 8 species in North america, 2 in NV
Polypogon monspeliensis
Rabbitsfoot Grass
It is native to the Old World, but it can be found today throughout the world as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It is an annual bunchgrass growing to heights between 5 centimeters and one meter. The soft, fluffy inflorescence is a dense, greenish, plumelike panicle, sometimes divided into lobes. The inflorescence, which is spike-like and dense, is green early in the growing season and becomes white to yellow in color as it matures. The spikelets have long, thin, whitish awns, which give the inflorescence its texture. The leaves are wide and flat with an irregularly toothed and minutely hairy ligule. Each plant can produce more than 1,000 seeds that are viable up to 5 years.
