Family: Poaceae
Carolina love grass, low love grass, small love grass, tufted love grass
Robert W. Freckmann
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Eragrostis: Greek er for "spring" and agrotis for "grass"
Plants: annual grass
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: annual grass
Conservation Status: Native
Lakeshores, riverbanks, sandbars, exposed wet soil, gravel areas, pavement cracks, gravel road shoulders, gravel pits, quarries, railroad corridors, waste areas, gardens, agricultural land, prairies, rock outcrops, rocky hillsides, woodland borders. Our most common species in the genus, its historic range lost to antiquity. Most likely originally native to exposed wet areas along rivers and other water bodies but now a ubiquitous weed, especially along roads. Shinners (1941) compared its spread in the state to that of Sporobolus vaginiflorus, with which it often grows. A few specimens appear to have the lowest panicle branches whorled but upon closer inspection the lateral branches just split off very low.
Flora of North America: Flora of North America Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 0, Wetland Indicator = FAC Atlas of the Wisconsin Prairie and Savanna Flora: by T.S. Cochrane & H.H. Iltis: habitat, distribution infomation / flowering and fruiting times USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Grasses of Iowa: Detailed photographs, descriptions, maps
