FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Fine stripes on leaves and on inflated ‘sacs’ of inflorescences are distinctive.
Synonym(s): Holcus striatus, Panicum aquaticum
Description: Medium height, perennial, aquatic or semi-aquatic grass with trailing stems that root at nodes. Often forms dense stands, 0.5 to 1 m tall.
Leaves: Leaf blades flat and marked with fine parallel lines. Leaf bases heart-shaped and clasping. Upper leaves often pointing downward.
Flowers/Fruit: Inflorescence elongate-cylindrical with spikelets on short, uneven length stalks. Spikelets distinctive with an inflated sac-like base. Flowering and fruiting July through October.
Habit and Range: Sunny freshwater marshes, edges of streams, lakes and ponds, swamps, and ditches mainly in the Coastal Plain.
