[MAIPC] grass i.d.?

Wed Aug 17 19:34:42 PDT 2016

Toni,

I help with a community garden in Lancaster, PA.  One of the tall annual Setaria sp. is a nuisance when people don’t take care of the weeds in their garden plots.  It really should be cut or mowed down before seed heads start to turn brown (tan).  

All of the weedy Setaria spp. here are annual.  The tall ones here locally can easily be brought under control by cutting down or mowing when they are forming seed heads.  The seeds of the foxtail we have do not seem to have long dormancy.  When they are cut down one year, there is much less the next year.

Looking at USDA Plants website, I see that in the NE USA the only native foxtail is Setaria parviflora (Setaria geniculata), called perennial foxtail.

John Ambler

From: MAIPC [mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of toni at gracefullygreen.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2016 4:06 PM
To: Rod Simmons; Marc Imlay
Cc: gary fleming; jp.long at earthlink.net; Beth H Chambers; Soreng, Robert; Gaylan Meyer; Mark <mark_frey at nps. gov> Frey; rwright at eee-consulting.com; jedodge3 at verizon.net; John Parrish; Thomas <wieboldt at vt. edu> Wieboldt; Brent_Steury at nps.gov; MAIPC at lists.maipc.org; Elizabeth F Wells; Karla Jamir; Jan Meyer; John.Townsend at dcr.virginia.gov
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] grass i.d.?

Thanks, everyone, for all your very helpful answers. So it definitely is foxtail, and it sounds like it is not desirable, but not an urgent threat. I need to advise the property owner, so what I think I will tell them is to cut it and keep an eye on it for now. It's on a slope, erosion is an issue, and the resources are limited. But I welcome suggestions, if anyone has any.

Thanks again,

Toni

Toni Bailey

Gracefully Green, LLC

Sustainable Landscape Specialists

Silver Spring, Maryland   20910

voice:  301-279-0234

fax:     301-279-0134

www.gracefullygreen.com <http://www.gracefullygreen.com/> 

On Tuesday, August 16, 2016 7:38 AM, Rod Simmons <Rod.Simmons at alexandriava.gov> wrote:

It and its weedy brethren - Setaria viridis var. viridis and S. pumila ssp. pumila are all enormously well established throughout our area, unfortunately.

In fact, I believe the vast numbers now of S. viridis and S. pumila to have displaced the native S. parviflora in the more urbanized areas of our region today.

And it's not as if S. faberi is in any way uncommon either!  One is virtually guaranteed of ID collection material in the D.C. area these days sadly on whatever route one takes!

S. parviflora, nonetheless, is still dominant in the largely clean and intact, sandy-loamy savannah-meadow below and throughout Mount Aventine at Chapman State Park in Charles County, MD.

I also have it in damp, low-lying swales at Jones Point Park along the Potomac River in the City of Alexandria, Virginia.  Check out nearby Penny Hill Cemetery though for a comparison of how S. pumila (and similar crud) can wipe out other native meadow floristic biodiversity.

All the best,

Rod

On Aug 15, 2016, at 9:56 PM, "Marc Imlay" <ialm at erols.com> wrote:

Recently naturalized from China according to Brown and Brown. Is it invasive?

Marc Imlay, PhD, Chair, MAIPC Biological control working Group Conservation biologist, 

Park Ranger Office, Non-native Invasive Plant Control coordinator.  <mailto:Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com> Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com

(301) 442-5657 cell  Natural and Historical Resources Division

The  Maryland-National   Capital   Park  and Planning Commission

Marc Imlay, PhD 
Chair of the Biodiversity and Habitat Stewardship Committee for the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club.

From: MAIPC [mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of Soreng, Robert
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2016 10:16 AM
To: Swearingen, Jil <jil_swearingen at nps.gov>; Bergmann, Carole <Carole.Bergmann at montgomeryparks.org>
Cc: MAIPC at lists.maipc.org; Rod.Simmons at alexandriava.gov
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] grass i.d.?

The photo seems to be of S. faberi as all have suggested,  a few further notes: 

S. faberi is the more robust species, and the inflorescence is usuallly obviously lax, drooping from near the base to the middle.  The bristles number (1) 3 (6) per spikelet, the longest are typically ca 10 mm long and finely scabrous, and the longest ones are at least 2xs as long as the spikelets

S. viridis var. viridis inflorescences are short and erect.

S. viridis var. major has longer inflorescences than var. viridis and they can nod near the top

The bristles number 1 to 3 per spikelet, the longest are usually shorter, but vary from 5 to 10 mm long, and are distinctly scabrous with the hooks oriented toward the tips, they are shorter relative to the spikelet length than in S. faberi.

Rob

Robert Soreng PhD, Research Associate

Dept. of Botany - US National Herbarium (US)

National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

202-633-0981  sorengr at si.edu

http://tropicos.org/Project/CNWG

  _____  

From: Swearingen, Jil [jil_swearingen at nps.gov]
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2016 9:13 AM
To: Bergmann, Carole
Cc: toni at gracefullygreen.com; MAIPC at lists.maipc.org; Soreng, Robert; Rod.Simmons at alexandriava.gov
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] grass i.d.?

Carole,

I agree with you about Setaria and think it's probably S. faberi.. http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SEFA

With all the taxonomic changes and also not being a grass specialist, I'm copy Rod and Rob for their expert assistance. 

Thanks,

Jil

On Mon, Aug 15, 2016 at 8:57 AM, Bergmann, Carole <Carole.Bergmann at montgomeryparks.org> wrote:

It’s a species of Setaria = “foxtail grass”. There are many different Setarias. 

I’d like to see it closer but this looks like giant foxtail. = http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/plants/giant_foxtail.htm

Carole

Carole F. Bergmann

Forest Ecologist/Field Botanist

Park Planning and Stewardship Division

Montgomery Parks

Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission

12535 Milestone Manor Lane

Germantown, Maryland 20876

301-962-1348

Carole.Bergmann at montgomeryparks.org

From: MAIPC [mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of toni at gracefullygreen.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2016 10:33 AM
To: MAIPC at lists.maipc.org
Subject: [MAIPC] grass i.d.?

Hello All:

Can you help me identify this grass? I am attaching photos, taken last month. The plant is about 3-4' high, growing on a partly shady, disturbed slope in Montgomery County, MD.

Many thanks for your help.

Toni Bailey

Toni Bailey

Gracefully Green, LLC

Sustainable Landscape Specialists

Silver Spring, Maryland   20910

voice:  301-279-0234

fax:     301-279-0134

www.gracefullygreen.com <http://www.gracefullygreen.com/> 

_______________________________________________
MAIPC mailing list
MAIPC at lists.maipc.org
http://lists.maipc.org/listinfo.cgi/maipc-maipc.org

-- 

Jil Marie Swearingen  202-339-8318
Regional IPM Program Manager 
National Capital Region

Natural Resources and Science
Center for Urban Ecology
4598 MacArthur Blvd., NW
Washington, DC 20007

IPM Homepage: http://www1.nrintra.nps.gov/brmd/ipm

IRMA/PUPS: https://irma.nps.gov/pups

STOP Workplace Harassment - http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/harassment.cfm

 <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=icon> Image removed by sender.

Virus-free. www.avast.com <http://www.avast.com/>  

_______________________________________________
MAIPC mailing list
MAIPC at lists.maipc.org
http://lists.maipc.org/listinfo.cgi/maipc-maipc.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.maipc.org/pipermail/maipc-maipc.org/attachments/20160817/7e89370c/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 350 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.maipc.org/pipermail/maipc-maipc.org/attachments/20160817/7e89370c/attachment-0001.jpeg>