Quiz: Which Grass Is Which?
By Sarah Schmidt | October 19, 2017At first glance, all grasses might look the same to you, but there is actually quite a lot of variation from species to species, especially if you closely examine the plant's inflorescence, or flower cluster. The four species of grass below all grow in the Native Flora Garden. Read the plant names and descriptions, and then try to match them to the photos below.
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
: Purplish spikelets that branch out like a turkey’s footSwitchgrass (Panicum virgatum): Open, airy inflorescences made up of ascending (upward-pointing) spikelets
Purpletop (Tridens flavus): Drooping, purplish spikelets
Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans): Silky-textured inflorescences in golden brown that fades to a more muted tan
How many can you identify?
Sarah Schmidt is a former editor of BBG's digital editorial content and the Guides for a Greener Planet handbook series.
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