About Danthonia compressa Austin
Danthonia compressa Austin is a perennial bunchgrass species. It has thin, compressed stems that grow up to around 80 centimeters long, and sometimes stems lie decumbent. Most of its leaves are found at the bases of the stems. Its inflorescence is a panicle that holds up to 17 spikelets, with two or three spikelets per branch. Each spikelet has a short, bent awn. This grass reproduces via seed, and also by sprouting new stems from buds on its stem bases. This bunchgrass is native to eastern North America, occurring in eastern Canada and the Eastern United States. In the southern portion of its range, it is only found at high elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Ecologically, this bunchgrass grows in oak and hickory forests, open woods, and meadows. It is a common grass on grassy balds in the southern Appalachians, where it grows alongside redtop (Agrostis gigantea), timothy (Phleum pratense), Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa), Kentucky bluegrass (P. pratensis), red fescue (Festuca rubra), five-fingers (Potentilla canadensis), and sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella). It is a dominant species in the Great Smoky Mountains, and it sometimes grows as a weed in crop fields.
