Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Oplismenus undulatifolius
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Similar to native bristle basketgrass (Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. setarius), but the native's stems have few if any hairs, and its florets are a deeper purple. The native deer-tongue grass (Dichanthelium clandestinum) has similar hairy stems and sometimes rippled leaves, but it grows taller and in clumps. The exotic small carpetgrass (Arthraxon hispidus) has low-growing hairy stems and sometimes rippled leaves, but its leaves are heart-shaped at their base and clasp the stem. Read more in New Invaders of the Southeast.
This strongly invasive grass has very wrinkled -- highly corrugated -- leaves, typically about 6-8 parallel wrinkles on a given leaf, giving a leaf a banded (pale green and darker green) look to the lanceolate several-inch-long leaves. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Learn how to differentiate WLBG from small carpetgrass (Arthraxon hispidus) and Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) at A Wavyleaf Wannabe.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Oplismenus undulatifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius
INCLUDED WITHIN The genera of Paniceae (Gramineae: Panicoideae) in the se. US (Crins, 1991)
Oplismenus hirtellus
COMMON NAME:
Wavyleaf Basketgrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Kerrie L. Kyde, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org bug_5389748_ppt
August? Prince George's County MD
Little Paint Branch Park
Leaf sheaths and culm axis are pilose with hairs 3-5mm long, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
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Kerrie L. Kyde, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org bug_5389750_ppt
August? Prince George's County MD
Little Paint Branch Park
Leaf length 2.5-10cm, the longest leaves with long-acuminate tips, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
Kerrie L. Kyde, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org bug_5389751_ppt
September? MD
Florets pinkish w long sticky awns that readily adhere to animals & people, per New Invaders of the Southeast (Rawlins et al., 2018).
)
Kerrie L. Kyde, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org bug_5390042_ppt
September? MD
Typical plant growth habit in a closed-canopy mesic forest.
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Kerrie L. Kyde, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org bug_5390043_ppt
December MD
After senescence, WLBG is still obvious in the forest in mid-December.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Oplismenus undulatifolius
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Oplismenus undulatifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius
INCLUDED WITHIN
The genera of Paniceae (Gramineae: Panicoideae) in the se. US (Crins, 1991)
Oplismenus hirtellus
3799
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Moist forests, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Eastern Hemisphere
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Northeast
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Southeast
- Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral US (Rawlins et al., 2018) p021
- New Invaders of the Southeast (Rawlins et al., 2018) p021
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".