Sunday, November 4, 2012

Purple Love Grass

This attractive grass is frequent in dry sand throughout much of Indiana. At maturity the panicles break free of the plant and tumble their way around the sand country,  dispersing seeds as they go.
In the book, "Grasses of Indiana," Charles Deam wrote this: "The panicle of this species breaks off easily at maturity, and it is a common thing to see great heaps of them piled by the wind against a fence. Hence it is often called a "tumble-weed."
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2 comments:

  1. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 5, 2012 at 3:01 AM

    I am glad you mentioned this book. I am always looking for books about Indiana that will help with identifying the flora and fauna.

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  2. Keith BoardNovember 5, 2012 at 12:21 PM

    Deam's "Grasses of Indiana" has exceptional quality illustrations that are accurate. Also, it has an introductory chapter entitled "The Grass Plant" that helps one easily learn the terminology. I also recommend Deam's "Shrubs of Indiana," "Trees of Indiana," and "Flora of Indiana." All are excellent works by a man who spent his life in the field during growing seasons, observing and learning the subtle details of our plants and mapping their distributions.

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