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tumble windmill grass
Scientific Name: Chloris verticillata
Family: Poaceae
Category: Monocot
Growth: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Tumble Windmill Grass
This page provides information about the Tumble Windmill Grass.
Scientific Name and Common Names
- Scientific Name: Chloris verticillata Nutt.
- Common Names: Tumble Windmill Grass, Windmill Grass, Tumble Windmillgrass
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Tracheophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Poales
- Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)
- Plant Symbol: CHVE2
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to southern and central North America.
- Occurs from California to Massachusetts and from Texas to North (potentially North Dakota).
- Considered introduced in New England.
- Has been moving into Iowa in recent years.
Ecological Role
- Considered a weedy species.
- Prolific grower, requiring control in some situations.
- Perennial grass that can resemble small tumbleweeds and roll across lawns in the fall.
- All livestock graze on tumble windmill grass in spring and early summer.
Morphological Characteristics
- Compact grass with a visually interesting flower.
- Flower consists of 10-16 spikes arranged in at least two levels of windmills.
- Seed head has 5-13 spikes radiating like blades of a windmill from the stem.
- When mature, the entire seed head breaks away and tumbles.
Quirky Facts
- The grass is named for its unusual windmill-like appearance.
- The mature seed head breaks away, forming a tumbleweed-like structure that aids in seed dispersal.
Further Information
- USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center: http://npdc.usda.gov
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Discover Life
- Dave's Garden
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln Turfgrass Science Program | turf.unl.edu
- Plants.usda.gov: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CHVE2