Dichanthelium harvillii Ludwig & LeBlond

Locations ofDichanthelium harvillii Ludwig & LeBlond in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Poaceae
Botanical Name
Dichanthelium harvillii Ludwig & LeBlond
Common Name
Harvill's Panic Grass
Synonym(s)
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Dichanthelium harvillii Ludwig & LeBlond
Comments
This species was recently described by LeBlond, Townsend and Ludwig in J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 14(2): 189-198 (2020). It was originally known from a single site in Halifax County, where numerous rare species occur in hardpan woodlands and clearings over mafic rock; another site, however, has been recently found in Appomattox County. This species shares the large fruit size and strongly retrorsely bearded nodes of D. boscii and D. ravenellii but has much narrower leaf proportions; in some respects, it is quite similar to Dichanthelium appalachiense. Given that plants occur characteristically in small numbers or as scattered individuals, the possibility that they are hybrids needs further investigation.
Habitat
Periodically burned mafic woodland in the southern Piedmont (Halifax Co.). The habitat was historically oak and pine dominated but was converted to loblolly pine in recent decades. Current management, including selective removal of timber and use of prescribed fire, seems to be maintaining or increasing species numbers. The recent occurrence documented in Appomattox County consists of a single robust clump in a dry powerline right-of-way over amphibolite.
Native Status
Native

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