Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Chloris verticillata (Tumble windmill grass)
Strickland, Sam C.

Chloris verticillata Nutt.

Tumble windmill grass, Windmillgrass

Poaceae (Grass Family)

USDA Symbol: chve2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Culms: 15-40 cm tall, erect. Panicle: 10-16 laterally spreading branches 5-15 cm. long well distributed in 2-5 verticils. Spikelets: 4-7 spikelets per cm. of rachis.

This compact grass has a visually interesting flower consisting of 10-16 spikes arranged into at least 2 levels of windmills. The spikes may have a purplish cast. The plant was a minor member of the original prairie and is a useful component for a prairie grass mix used on disturbed sites. It is also suitable as a specimen planting among like-sized flowering plants.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: 6 to 18 inches tall
Leaf: Pale bluish green
Flower: Heads 3 to 7 inches across
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Not Applicable
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: The spikelets are initially reddish green, but they later turn tan or brown when the grains become ripe. Can bloom from May until frost.

Distribution

USA: AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MO , NE , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , WY
Native Distribution: Texas: North central and western. U.S.A.: Nebraska to southern California
Native Habitat: Heavy sandy or gravelly soils of disturbed areas, roadsides, lawns, and parks.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Description: Heavy, well drained, usually calcareous, sandy or gravelly soils, including sand, loam, clay, gravel, caliche, and limestone. Does well in compacted and disturbed soils.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: An attractive, short grass for grassland restoration on disturbed sites
Use Wildlife: Poor grazing. Seeds eaten by marshland birds.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: The Grass Family is an essential larval host for most branded skippers and most of the satyrs.
Deer Resistant: High

Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Division , Seeds
Description: Can be grown from seed or root divisions taken in winter.
Seed Treatment: No special pre-treatment.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0934 Collected Oct 20, 1994 in Comal County by Mary Beth White

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-163 Collected 2007-10-14 in Travis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Bibliography

Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Chloris verticillata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Chloris verticillata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chloris verticillata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2009-04-04
Research By: NPC

Go back