Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Holcus lanatus
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Velvet-grass from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Holcus lanatus
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Holcus lanatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24 (2007)
Holcus lanatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-29-001:
Holcus lanatus FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Holcus lanatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Notholcus lanatus
COMMON NAME:
Velvet-grass, Soft Grass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950 pnd_hola_002_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_nola2_001_lvd
)
Gill Newberry gn050419_8181
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
Gill Newberry gn050419_8187
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm0407t_32
July Mitchell County NC
The Roan Highlands
Panicle dense, branches spreading and ascending, villous. Spikelets 2-flowered, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm0407w_17
July Mitchell County NC
The Roan Highlands
The entire plant is grayish velvety-hairy and soft to the touch, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Holcus lanatus
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Holcus lanatus
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Holcus lanatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24
Holcus lanatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-29-001:
Holcus lanatus
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Holcus lanatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Notholcus lanatus
695
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Annual
Habitat: Moist to wet meadows, pastures, disturbed areas, roadsides, hedge-rows, sometimes invasive in bogs, fens, and other natural wetlands, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common (rare in SC, rare in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & alternate, 2-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Spikelets purplish or greenish
Bisexual & staminate in the same spikelet
Inflorescence a panicle
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Grain yellowish
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p305
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p148
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".