''Vulpia elliotea'', known by the common name sand fescue or squirreltail fescue, is an annual grass native to the southeastern United States. Its specific epithet ''elliotea'' is named for its discoverer, Stephen Elliott.

Description

''Vulpia elliotea'' is an erect grass, growing up to in height. Its leaf sheaths are glabrous, and its blades are typically glabrous though they can be scabrous above. The involute blades are wide. The inflorescence is long. The erect

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

has ascending

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the inflorescences of grasses, sedges and some other monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the sp ...

s long. The first

glume In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flow ...

is long; the second glume is long. The typically pubescent lemmas are long, and the awns are two to four times as long. The grass flowers from May to June.

Distribution and habitat

''Vulpia elliotea'' grows in dry, sandy prairies from New Jersey to Texas, up to southern Illinois and Missouri.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15514266 Plants described in 1945 Pooideae