Grasslike Plants in the Assiniboine Forest

The Habitat Site Report lists about 45 species of Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes. On this page, I'm listing them by their common names. In reality, some plants that are commonly called grasses, sedges, or rushes are technically one of the other. 

Identifying grass-like plants is difficult without inspecting their stems and other features closely.  But without removing samples from the forest, that would involve a lot of bending down, and even more attempting to get up. My identifications to date are strictly visual, and the classifications I use below are my own.  

Bold Italic headings indicate species not listed on the Habitat Site Report.

Grasses with Grainy Seeds

     Big Bluestem
     Smooth Brome
     Common Reed Grass
     Prairie Panic-Grass

Grasses with Fine Seeds

     Switchgrass
     Fowl Bluegrass
     Kentucky Bluegrass

Grasses with Bushy Seedheads

     Timothy
     Common Velvetgrass
     Marsh Reed Grass
     Yellow Foxtail
     Barnyard Grass
     Prairie Cordgrass

Grasses with Hairy Seedheads

     Canada Wild Rye
     Foxtail Barley

Oats

     Common Wild Oats
     Sideoats Grama

Cat-Tails and Rushes

     Common Cat-Tail
     Hard-Stemmed Bulrush
     Grassleaf Rush

Click on Images to Enlarge

Grasses with Grainy Seeds

Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

Native Perennial Bunchgrass, also known as Tall Bluestem, Bluejoint, Turkeyfoot

Smooth Brome

Bromus inermis

Introduced Rhizomatous Perennial

Common Reed Grass

Phragmites australis

Native

Prairie Panic-Grass

Panicum leibergii

Native Perennial, also known as Lieberg's Panic-Grass, Rosette Grass

Grasses with Fine Seeds

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Native Perennial Bunchgrass, also known as Tall Panic Grass, Tall Prairiegrass, Wobsqua Grass, Blackbent, Wild Redtop, Thatchgrass

Fowl Bluegrass

Poa palustris

Native, also known as Fowl Meadowgrass, Swamp Meadowgrass, Woodland Bluegrass

 

 

Kentucky Bluegrass

Poa pratensis

Introduced Perennial, also known as Smooth Meadowgrass, Common Meadowgrass

Grasses with Bushy Seedheads

Timothy

Phleum pratense

Introduced Perennial, also known as Meadow Cat's Tail, Common Cat's Tail

Common Velvetgrass

Holcus lanatus

Introduced Perennial, also known as Tufted Grass, Meadow Soft Grass

Marsh Reed Grass

Calamagrostis canadensis

Native Perennial, also known as Bluejoint, Bluejoint Reedgrass, Marsh Reedgrass, Canadian Reedgrass, Meadow Pinegrass

Yellow Foxtail

Setaria pumila

Introduced, also known as Bristle Grass, Pigeon Grass, Cattail Grass

Barnyard Grass

Echinochloa crusgalli

Introduced, also known as Cockspur, Barnyard Millet, Water Grass

Prairie Cordgrass

Spartina pectinata

Native, also known as Freshwater Cordgrass, Tall Marshgrass, and Sloughgrass

Grasses with Hairy Seedheads 

Canada Wild Rye

Elymus canadensis

Native Perennial Bunchgrass

Foxtail Barley

Hordeum jubatum

Native Perennial, also known as Bobtail Barley, Squirreltail Barley, Intermediate Barley

Oats

Common Wild Oats

Avena fatua

Introduced

Sideoats Grama

Bouteloua curtipendula

Native Perennial

Technically, this is not a true species of oats.

Cat-Tails and Rushes

Common Cat-Tail

Typha latifolia

Native Perennial, also known as Broadleaf Cattail, Bulrush, Common Bulrush, Cat-o'-Nine-Tails, Cooper's Reed

In this photo, the male flower head is at the top of the stalk, and the female flower head is below it.

 

 

Hard-Stemmed Bulrush

Scirpus acutus OR Schoenoplectus acutus

Native, also known as Common Tule, Hardstem Tule, Tule Rush, Viscid Bulrush

Grassleaf Rush

Juncus marginatus

Native, also known as Shore Rush, Margined Rush

Grassleaf (Shore) Rush is not a water plant, but can be found in amongst grasses.  There also exists a very similar-looking species called Saltmeadow Rush, but visual identification points towards this specimen being Grassleaf.