Scientific Name
Ventenata dubia (Leers) Coss. (Synonyms: Avena dubia; Ventenata avenacea)
Common Name(s)
Wiregrass, ventenata, North Africa grass
Tribe / Family Name
Poeae
Flowering Period
May to June
Symbol
VEDU
Description
Wiregrass grass is an introduced cool-season annual bunchgrass that reproduces from seed. Culms range from 15–75 cm in height and have purple-black nodes. Its inflorescence is an open panicle usually 15–20 cm long and pyramidal. Spikelets are 9–15 mm long, 2- to 3-flowered (lowest floret usually staminate and upper florets bisexual), and awned (the lower lemma awns up to 9 mm long and straight; the upper lemma awns 10–16 mm long, bent and twisted, and arising near midlength). Ligules are 1–8 mm long, membranous, obtuse or acute, usually lacerate, and glabrous.
General Info
Wiregrass can be found along roadsides, in pastures, crop land, rangelands, south-facing slopes, foothills, plains, and montane sites.
Similar Species
Wiregrass is very distinctive and not likely to be confused with other grasses. When comparing it to other grasses, remember to look for the open, diffuse seed heads, long, stiff horizontal branches with few spikelets at the ends of the branches, and the exposed purple-black or sometimes reddish nodes. Prior to flowering, wiregrass seedlings can look similar to seedlings of Poa species because the nodes can be of similar color to wiregrass and ligules can be long, however, note that the Poa leaf tips are keel-shaped.
Picture of growth habit.
Inflorescence is an open panicle and pyramidal in shape.
Close-up picture of spikelet.
Close-up picture of membranous ligule.
Close-up picture of purplish-black node.
Illustration of wiregrass. Le Hall, 2018.