Species: Dichanthelium wilcoxianum (Vasey) Freckmann

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Dichanthelium wilcoxianum (Vasey) Freckmann

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Poaceae

Genus:

Dichanthelium

Species Synonyms:

Dichanthelium oligosanthes var. wilcoxianum (Vasey) Gould & C.A. Clark
Panicum wilcoxianum Vasey
Panicum wilcoxianum var. breitungii Boivin

Common Names:

fall panicum
Wilcox’s panicgrass
witch grass
sandmillet
fall rosettegrass

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

east-central Alberta –central Saskatchewan – southwestern Manitoba

Saskatchewan:

central to southern Saskatchewan; Maidstone – Prince Albert – Souris River Valley

Ecoregion:

Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

sand barrens on dry prairie slopes and hilltops and in open, sandy pine woods

Associated Species:

dry prairies

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Dichanthelium wilcoxianum is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan and is almost always locally sparse. Possible threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 35 cm tall

Roots:

fibrous

Stems:

caespitose, erect to spreading or drooping, nodes glabrous, internodes purplish-grey, upper 2 – 4 internodes much elongated, sparsely pubescent

Leaves:

basal rosettes poorly differentiated, lower leaves 2 – 4 cm long, 1 – 6 mm broad, papillose-hirsute on both surfaces; cauline leaves usually 3, well distributed on culm, 4 – 8 cm long, 2 – 5 mm wide, flat, green to greyish-green; sheaths papillose-hirsute to glabrous; ligules 0.5 – 1 mm long, of hairs

Inflorescence:

panicle 3 – 5 cm long, 2 – 4 cm wide, open, exserted; pedicels 4 – 8 mm long, spreading

Spikelets:

2 – 3 mm long, tip acute to rounded, villous, often reddish; lower florets sterile

Florets:

lower glumes triangular, glumes equalling the upper florets; lower lemmas resembling the glumes; upper lemmas striate, indurate; paleas striate

Fruits:

caryopsis

Other:

autumn phase branching from basal nodes

DICHANTHELIUM KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Basal leaves similar in shape to cauline leaves	2
1 Basal leaves well-differentiated from cauline leaves	3

2 All cauline leaves 4 – 8 cm long, similar, leaves distributed more or less evenly up the stem	D. wilcoxianum
2 Upper cauline leaves 10 – 20 cm long, distinctly longer than lower leaves, main stem leaves rather prominently basally distributed	D. linearifolium

3 Ligules of hairs; spikelets less than 2.5 mm long	D. acuminatum var. fasciculatum
3 Ligules membranous; spikelets more than 2.5 mm long	4

4 Leaves and spikelets with papillose hairs; panicles slightly longer than wide	D. leibergii
4 Leaves glabrous; spikelets puberulent to almost glabrous; panicles usually more than twice as long as wide	D. xanthophysum