''Achnatherum robustum'', commonly known as sleepy grass, (synonyms ''Stipa robusta'', also ''Stipa vaseyi'' subsp. ''robusta'') is a perennial plant in the

Poaceae 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 ...

or grass family.

Distribution

It grows on dry soil in the U.S. Midwest, ranging from South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico to Texas and Arizona, California and Hawaii.

Ecology

Sleepy grass plants harboring a

fungal A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

species (of the genus ''

Neotyphodium ''Neotyphodium'' is a genus of endophytic fungi symbiotic with grasses. It used to contain a number of asexually reproducing species that colonize the leaves of cool-season grasses, but most of them, including the type species '' N. coenophial ...

''), contain

ergoline Ergoline is a chemical compound whose structural skeleton is contained in a variety of alkaloids, referred to as ergoline derivatives or ergoline alkaloids. Ergoline alkaloids, one being ergine, were initially characterized in ergot. Some of thes ...

compounds, such as

lysergic acid amide Ergine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) and d-lysergamide, is an ergoline alkaloid that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. The psychedelic properties in the seeds of ololiuhqui, Hawaiian ...

(common name,

ergine Ergine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) and d-lysergamide, is an ergoline alkaloid that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. The psychedelic properties in the seeds of ololiuhqui, Hawaiia ...

). These compounds appear to be responsible for the

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

effects on mammals when they ingest the infected grass.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Achnatherum robustum'' (sleepygrass)
robustum Bunchgrasses of North America Grasses of the United States Native grasses of the Great Plains region Flora of the United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the South-Central United States Native grasses of Nebraska Native grasses of Oklahoma Native grasses of Texas {{Pooideae-stub