Plant Index
Gymnopogon brevifolius
Gymnopogon brevifolius Trin.
shortleaf skeletongrass, pineland skeleton grass, pineland beard grass
Image ID: 14724
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library
PLANT INDEX
ID_PLANT: GYBRSCIENTIFIC NAME: Gymnopogon brevifolius
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-09-25
GENUS INDEX
GENUS CODE: GYMNO3GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Gymnopogon
GENUS AUTHORITY: P. Beauv.
GENUS COMMON: Skeletongrass
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 15 species, in temperate and tropical areas of the Americas.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: When sterile, Gymnopogon is sometimes confused with Dichanthelium. Gymnopogon differs in having the sheaths conspicuously overlapping (vs. not overlapping in Dichanthelium) and leaves that are definitely cordate-clasping and of stiff texture (only a few Dichanthelium have this combination).
GENUS REFERENCES: Cialdella & Zuloaga (2011)=Y; Smith in FNA (2007b); Smith (1971)=Z.
FAMILY INDEX
FAMILY CODE: POACEAFAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Poaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: (R. Brown) Barnhart 1895 or GRAMINEAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Grass Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 771 genera and 12,074 species, herbs (and some shrubs and trees), cosmopolitan. Tribal classification largely follows FNA (2003a, 2007a), with some changes based on subsequent research, as for instance in the Chloridoideae (Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson 2010a).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003a, 2007a)=FNA; Hitchcock and Chase (1950)=HC; Blomquist (1948); Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson (2010a, 2010b). Key to genera adapted in large part from FNA.
NCBG DESCRIPTIVES
INTRO:STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 2 ft
DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Grass/Grasslike
LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:
FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Aug-Oct
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| x | x | x | x | x |
BLOOM COLOR:
| White | Red | Pink | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | Lavender | Purple | Violet | Brown | Not Applicable |
| x |
FRUITING PERIOD:
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Pine savannas
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States
HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Shortleaf skeletongrass is an interesting native grass that occurs in dry, sandy woodlands and roadsides throughout the Southeastern U.S. The sprawling stems of shortleaf skeletongrass are topped with open panicles of feathery flowers in late summer and into early fall. It has been suggested that this distinctive species gets its name because the leaves and flower stalks are perpendicular to the stem, like bones in a ribcage.
Bloom Table Text:
NCBG Location:
Cultural Notes:
SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 6
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:
GRIM COLLECTIONS
| Coll_id | Project | Collection date | Collector | Action |
| 302 | HORT | 2010-10-27 | NCBG staff | View |
| 2089 | NPMD | 2020-10-28 | Adams | View |
| 2507 | NPMD | 2021-11-01 | Marzolf | View |
GRIM ACCESSIONS
| acc_id | acc_num | acc_dt | coll_id | Action |
| 298 | 2011-0162 | 2011-07-09 | 302 | View |
GRIM PLANTINGS
| plt_num | acc_id | loc_num | pers_num | inst_dt | Action |
| 707 | 298 | 20 | NCBG staff | 2011-07-06 | View |
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
USDA Symbol: GYBRUSDA Common Name: Shortleaf Skeletongrass
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Graminoid
NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS
| Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
| Status: | FACU | FACU |
WEAKLEY FLORA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Gymnopogon brevifoliusCOMMON NAME: Pineland Skeleton Grass, Pineland Beard Grass
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, HC, K, RAB, S, Va, WH3, Y, Z]
PHENOLOGY: Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: Pine savannas, sandhills, dry woodlands, prairies, calcareous glades, typically in dry sandy or clay hardpan soils.
COMMENTS: S. NJ south to s. FL, west to LA and AR; disjunct in the Highland Rim of KY and TN.
RANGE MAP: Gymnopogon brevifolius.png
Key to Map Symbols
ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Poaceae (R. Brown) Barnhart 1895 or GRAMINEAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Grass Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 771 genera and 12,074 species, herbs (and some shrubs and trees), cosmopolitan. Tribal classification largely follows FNA (2003a, 2007a), with some changes based on subsequent research, as for instance in the Chloridoideae (Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson 2010a).
REFERENCE: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003a, 2007a)=FNA; Hitchcock and Chase (1950)=HC; Blomquist (1948); Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson (2010a, 2010b). Key to genera adapted in large part from FNA.
ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Gymnopogon P. Beauv. (Skeletongrass)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 15 species, in temperate and tropical areas of the Americas.
REFERENCE: Cialdella & Zuloaga (2011)=Y; Smith in FNA (2007b); Smith (1971)=Z.
HERBARIUM RESOURCES
SERNEC: Find Gymnopogon brevifolius in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)UNC SERNEC: Find Gymnopogon brevifolius in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
WEB RESOURCES
USDA: Find Gymnopogon brevifolius in USDA PlantsNPIN: Find Gymnopogon brevifolius in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Gymnopogon brevifolius in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Gymnopogon brevifolius
IMAGE USE RECORDS
ID IMAGE: 14724 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)ID IMAGE1: 14724 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 14724 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 25796 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)
From the Image Gallery
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