Please try our next iteration of the Michigan Flora Online here. Beginning on February 1, 2023, michiganflora.net will point to this new site.

The new site offers several benefits over the existing website, including real coordinate mapping, giving a clearer view of the density of documentation as well as more precision about plant distributions and their link to landforms. We will also have the ability to update species pages more regularly, both in terms of new collections and as more existing Michigan specimens are georeferenced. In addition, we have a better photo display, and offer indented keys.

A distinctive characteristic of this genus, and also Piptochaetium and Aristida, is the very firm lemma, with elongate, hard, sharp-pointed, usually bearded callus at the base (included in measurements of lemma).

1. Body of lemma (8–) 10–13 mm long, whitish or very pale brown at maturity; glumes (17–) 22–28 mm long, including long-attenuate awned tip.

H. comata

1. Body of lemma (15–) 17–23 mm long, usually dark brown at maturity; glumes (27–) 30–45 mm long, including attenuate tip.

H. spartea