''Panicum hemitomon'' is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

known by the common name maidencane. It is native to North America, where it occurs along the southeastern coastline from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

to Texas. It is also present in South America.Walsh, Roberta A. 1994
''Panicum hemitomon''.
In: Fire Effects Information System, nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved August 1, 2012. This plant is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

perennial grass with stems reaching up to 2 meters in height. It is aquatic or semi-aquatic, growing in water or wet soils. It spreads via its rhizome to form large colonies.''Panicum hemitomon''.
Grass Manual Treatment. Retrieved August 1, 2012. The canelike roots are filled with air and form a mass up to 46 centimeters wide. The stems may be erect or spreading; if nodes on the stem contact moist substrate they will root. Stems that break off and float away may root where they land. There are fertile and sterile stems. The leaves are up to 35 centimeters long by 1.5 wide and have tapering tips. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

with upright branches. This species is a common grass in coastal

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. It is only found in

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

, not sea water or

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

water. It can be found in many types of freshwater wetlands as well as in ditches and disturbed or cultivated areas. It is less sensitive to grazing than many associated species, but growth is reduced by competition from neighboring plants. It is common in the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

and other regions in Florida. It may form large monotypic stands which are rooted or floating free to form a floating marsh. It forms its most dense stands on the drier sites in wet habitats. It can tolerate several months of flooding. The rhizome network helps to stabilize soil and prevent

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

. Some biologists therefore refer to it as a keystone speciesMayence, C.E. and M.W. Hester. 2009. Growth and allocation by a keystone wetland plant, ''Panicum hemitomon'', and implications for managing and rehabilitating coastal freshwater marshes, Louisiana, USA. Wetlands Ecology and Management 18: 149-63. This grass sprouts from the rhizome in the winter and grows over the course of the year. It is most dense in summer and fall. The aboveground parts die and break off, forming floating mats. Then the rhizome becomes dormant. Maidencane is good for cattle

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...

, and there are maidencane-dominated

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es in Florida which are used for cattle grazing. It can be used as

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

. It is also eaten by deer and utilized by the

Florida panther The Florida panther is a North American cougar (''P. c. couguar'') population in South Florida. It lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks, and mixed freshwater swamp forests. It is known under a number of common names including Costa R ...

, which lives in the marshes. The

American alligator The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the g ...

also lives in maidencane wetlands. Many other animals are found in these habitat types. The plant is considered a weed in some places, such as cultivated crop fields. It is also considered a nuisance species when it becomes very dense. It may compete with food plants for waterfowl. Controlled burns are sometimes initiated to thin the plant.

References

External links

Center for Aquatic and Invasive PlantsThe Nature ConservancyUSDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7131131 hemitomon Flora of North America Flora of South America