''Pappophorum bicolor'' 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 a ...
known by the common name pink pappusgrass.
Distribution
The plant is bunchgrass
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to North America, where it occurs in Northeastern Mexico and in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
(United States).
[Grass Manual Treatment: ''Pappophorum bicolor''.]
It is found in the
Great Plains, other
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
s, meadows, pastures,
oak savannahs, and along roadsides.
Description
This perennial
bunchgrass
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...
grows up to 1 m (3 ft.) tall. The leaves are up to 20 or 30 centimeters long.
The narrow
panicle is somewhat pink to purple in color.
[ It blooms from April to November.
]
Uses
Pink pappusgrass is used for the revegetation of rangeland
Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, sava ...
, seeding along roadways, and for native habitat restoration
Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...
.[''Pappophorum bicolor''.]
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. It is good for wildlife, and it provides a 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 ...
for livestock.
Cultivation
''Pappophorum bicolor'' is cultivated as an ornamental grass
Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. Ornamental grasses are popular in many colder hardiness zones for their resilience to cold temperatures and aesthetic value throughout fall and winter seasons.
Classifications
Along ...
, for use in traditional, native plant
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...
, and wildlife garden
A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibian ...
s.[''Pappophorum bicolor''.]
USDA NRCS Plant Guide.''Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife''; Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Texas Parks and Wildlife Press; (1999) Austin, Texas; .
The grass may be attacked by the
rice stink bug (''Oebalus pugnax'').
[
]
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile for ''Pappophorum bicolor'' (pink pappusgrass)
NatureServe: ''Pappophorum bicolor''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7133106
Chloridoideae
Bunchgrasses of North America
Grasses of Mexico
Native grasses of Texas
Native grasses of the Great Plains region
Flora of Northeastern Mexico