prairie cordgrass

(Sporobolus michauxianus)

Conservation Status
prairie cordgrass
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
  Midwest

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

 

 
     
 

Height

 
 

6 to 9

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Wet to moderate moisture. Prairies, meadows, streambanks. Full sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

August to September

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

 
  5/26/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Liliopsida (monocots)  
 

Order

Poales (grasses, sedges, cattails, and allies)  
 

Family

Poaceae (grasses)  
  No Rank PACMAD clade  
  Subfamily Chloridoideae  
  Tribe Zoysieae  
  Subtribe Sporobolinae  
 

Genus

Sporobolus (dropseeds, cordgrasses, and sandreeds)  
  Section Spartina  
       
 

Unitl recently this species was classified as Spartina pectinata. A recent phylogenetic analysis of the grass subtribe Sporobolinae (Peterson & Saarela, 2014) proposed incorporating the genus Spartina and three other genera into the genus Sporobolus. The new combination for Spartina pectinata would be Sporobolus michauxianus. The proposal has been widely but not universally accepted.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Spartina cynosuroides var. aureo-marginata

Spartina cynosuroides f. major

Spartina cynosuroides var. michauxiana

Spartina michauxiana

Spartina michauxiana var. suttiei

Spartina michauxiana var. tenuior

Spartina pectinata f. pectinata

Spartina pectinata var. suttiei

Spartina pectinata f. variegata

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

freshwater cord grass

prairie cord grass

prairie cordgrass

slough grass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    prairie cordgrass   prairie cordgrass  
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    prairie cordgrass   prairie cordgrass  
           
    prairie cordgrass      
           
 

Spikelets

 
    prairie cordgrass   prairie cordgrass  
           
    prairie cordgrass   prairie cordgrass  
           
 

Blades

 
    prairie cordgrass      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
 
     
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Tom Voigt on Prairie Cord Grass, A.K.A. "Rip Gut," at the Energy Farm
IGBIllinois
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jan 24, 2011

Tom Voigt on Prairie Cord Grass, A.K.A. "Rip Gut," at the Energy Farm

   
  Earthyman Reveals Fall Colors of Prairie Cordgrass
Ionxchange
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Oct 28, 2009

Earthyman reveals fall colors of Prairie Cordgrass, a forgotten native of the Tallgrass Prairie.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Antelope Valley SNA

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Blue Mounds State Park

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Chippewa Prairie

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Leif Mountain

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Miller Prairie, West Unit

Minnesota Valley NWR, Chaska Unit

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Pankratz Memorial Prairie, North Unit

Pembina Trail Preserve SNA, Crookston Prairie Unit

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Plover Prairie, East Unit

Prairie Coteau SNA

Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit

Racine Prairie SNA

Red Rock Prairie

Regal Meadow

Richard M. & Mathilde Rice Elliott SNA

Rockville County Park

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Rushford Sand Barrens SNA

Sand Prairie Wildlife Management and Environmental Education Area

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Sedan Brook SNA

Seven Sisters Prairie

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Sibley State Park

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Strandness Prairie

Thorson Prairie WMA

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Town Hall Prairie

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Twin Valley Prairie Addition

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Tympanuchus Prairie

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Vermillion River WMA

Wahpeton Prairie WMA

Western Prairie SNA

Wild Indigo SNA

Woodbury WMA

Zimmerman Prairie

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

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