Coefficient of Conservatism:
0
Coefficient of Wetness:
0
Wetness Index:
FAC
Physiognomy:
Nt A-Grass
R. Schipper
Dry to moist open (and usually disturbed) ground: roadsides and railroads, fields and gardens, shores and river banks. A native species, but occurring in a diversity of weedy, disturbed sites as well as some more natural habitats. The Panicum capillare complex is a difficult one, but the treatment by Darbyshire & Cayouette (1995) seems to mesh with the variation we see in Michigan, and we recognize five species in Michigan: P. capillare, P. flexile, P. gattingeri, P. philadelphicum, and P. tuckermanii. These can be difficult to key, but each has a distinctive growth habit as well as ecology.
Panicum capillare differs from all the other members of the complex in being a tumbleweed; the peduncle of the primary panicle becomes brittle and readily breaks off. It is much more common and much more variable than the other members of the complex.