Fowl mannagrass - Native Plants - Michigan State University

<strong>Fowl</strong> <strong>mannagrass</strong><br />

Glyceria striata<br />

C=4<br />

Grass<br />

Flowers not readily obvious<br />

Plant type: Grass<br />

Where can you find this plant?<br />

Bloom period: Open seed heads flower in August,<br />

mature into September.<br />

Distinguishing characteristics: Fruiting or<br />

seeding plants are 1-1 ½ feet tall. Leaves ladder<br />

off of the stalk, alternating and coming off at a<br />

right angle when the plant is upright. Spikelets,<br />

or the flowering unit, range in color from green to<br />

purple. They are small, about 1/10-1/8 inch (2.5-<br />

4mm) long, and oblong or oval-shaped.<br />

Habitat quality: Tolerates shade but flowers and<br />

becomes much more common in areas that are<br />

cleared of shrubs. We found this species to be<br />

very common in the second and third years after<br />

clearing buckthorn.<br />

Developed by: Doug Landis and Anna Fiedler, MSU Department of Entomology. Funding support: National Fish and Wildlife<br />

Foundation, Lynn and Thelma MacCready Forest and Wildlife Endowment, MSU, and Hanes Trust of the <strong>Michigan</strong> Botanical<br />

Club. Partners: The Nature Conservancy, <strong>Michigan</strong> Natural Features Inventory, The Stewardship Network, <strong>Michigan</strong> DNR<br />

Landowner Incentive Program. For more information on native plants and prairie fens, go to www.nativeplants.msu.edu.

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Where can you find this plant?<br />

Indiana<br />

New York<br />

Ohio<br />

Wisconsin<br />

For more information on native plants and prairie<br />

fens, go to www.nativeplants.msu.edu<br />

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. <strong>Michigan</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin,<br />

gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension<br />

work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing,MI 48824. This information is for<br />

educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

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Key description<br />

C=<br />

Coefficient of conservatism. This is a value that ranges from 0 for non-native invasives to 10 for<br />

plants that would only be expected to be found in undisturbed, high quality plant communities. It is a<br />

general guideline for whether the plant would be likely to be found in an intact prairie fen (not filled<br />

in with shrubs and without invasive species). However, C values may be high for some species that<br />

are not found in prairie fen but would be part of another wetland such as a marsh. They are included<br />

here because they are a widely accepted measure of habitat quality in the Midwest (http://1.usa.gov/<br />

FQAMethod).<br />

Flower type<br />

Classifications here follow those of Newcomb’s wildflower guide (http://amzn.com/0316604429).<br />

Number of regular parts<br />

The flower has this number of petals or petal-like parts that are symmetrical from<br />

the flower center (radial), with each similar to the other in shape, size, and color.<br />

There may be 3 to 7 regular parts. See image at right.<br />

Aster<br />

These flowers have regular parts and are symmetrical from the center, but there are<br />

more than 7. Asters have a set of disc flowers in the center of the flower and a set<br />

of ray flowers outside of the disc flowers, often called petals. They are one group<br />

(genus) within the family Asteraceae, and there are many species in this genus.<br />

Flowers not readily obvious<br />

The flowers of plants such as grasses, sedges, and cattail are not obvious and are often confused with<br />

the fruits (seeds) of these species. While this website does not include flower descriptions for these<br />

species, they do flower.<br />

Irregular<br />

The flower is not symmetrical from the center but is symmetrical down a line<br />

(bilateral). See image at right.<br />

No flowers<br />

A number of primitive plants, including ferns, do not flower but make spores in<br />

order to reproduce.<br />

Parts indistinguishable<br />

These species either have parts so small their number is difficult to determine or have no petal-like<br />

parts. This group includes goldenrods, other species with small individual flowers, and plants in the<br />

family Asteraceae that have more than 7 parts, but the parts do not form distinguishable, symmetrical<br />

ray flowers (which are often called petals).<br />

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. <strong>Michigan</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin,<br />

gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension<br />

work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing,MI 48824. This information is for<br />

educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.