Seed head. Photo: Jim Pisarowicz, South Dakota, USA

Seed head: and leaves. Photo J Hilty, Illinois, USA

Base of leaf and stem. Photo: J Hilty, Illinois, USA

Common Name

Witchgrass

Family

Poaceae

Notes

Introduced annual grass 20-80cm tall.  Leaves with a hairy sheath at the base.  Ligule a fringe of hairs or a membrane with a fringe of hairs.  Leaves 4-30cm long, 5-20mm wide, flat or linear to threadlike, rough-hairy sometimes becoming hairless, margins often wavy, with a fine point. Spikelets green, 2-4mm long. Mature seed groups spreading.  Seeds with 0 bristles. 

Description (as Panicum capillare var. capillare) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 118

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Panicum~capillare

ausgrass2 short description, photos, and line drawings:   http://ausgrass2.myspecies.info/content/panicum-capillare